WO2017221273A1

WO2017221273A1 - Electro-mechanical smart switch

Info

Publication number: WO2017221273A1
Application number: PCT/IN2017/050260
Authority: WO
Inventors: Supreeth SHETTY
Original assignee: Shetty Supreeth
Priority date: 2016-06-25
Filing date: 2017-06-25
Publication date: 2017-12-28

Abstract

The present invention is a smart switch that replaces the manual switch with an additional electronic component, controlled from a location-independent cloud-based application. There is no need for re-wiring or modification of the Switchboard and is simple to manage without multiple wireless protocols, with a secure operation. The smart switch consists of the cloud server framework 5 that sends commands to the smart switch (1, 10, 21) sent by a user 9 using a mobile application 6, a mobile website 7 or a desktop browser 8. The cloud-based server 5 forwards the command to the Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) (2, 11, 22) that decodes the information from the Internet cloud (4, 18), identifies the smart switch (1, 10, 21) and transmits the command to the smart switch (1, 10, 21) using a ZigBee protocol 3 to smart switch.

Description

ELECTRO-MECHANICAL SMART SWITCH

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a smart switch to replace the existing, manual on or off switch with an additional electronic component that can be controlled from the cloud via a mobile application, a mobile website or a desktop browser.

DISCUSSION OF PRIOR ART

WO2013034361A1 titled "An illumination control system, an illuminating device and a secondary controller" describes the system controlling the illumination by using a mobile phone, some illumination devices, and a secondary controller. There are two communication modules first, and second, that communicates with each other. The first communication is a mobile and the secondary controller using a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) or WiFi or Bluetooth protocol and the second communication is between the secondary controller and the illumination devices using the ZigBee protocol for second communication.

US20120086561A1 titled "Outdoor Lighting System" describes a lighting system which is outside having outdoor lighting with a Power Line Communication (PLC), a way to communicate with a PLC network and a general network, and a lighting control system to control the PLC lines. There is also a motion sensor coupled with the lines enabled by PLC. Whenever there is a motion sensed by the sensor or a message from another PLC network or occupancy, PLC network notifies another outdoor PLC network.

The present invention uses the smart switch either by using it via a mobile application, a mobile website or a desktop browser through the cloud-based server, to control the home or office or factory and thus, making the ecosystem smart. The novelty of the present invention is that the user can also use the manual switches, as there is a backward compatibility feature with the existing setup. The user can very easily automate the switch. The security issues are high, but the present invention gives security to the system by using a Controller rejection mechanism, The command from the Controller to the smart switch will be encrypted as well, thus adding another layer of security to the entire mechanism. In case the user wants to reset the smart switch, the invention provides a simplified smart switch reset. A long press of the smart switch would change the smart switch to the factory mode in the event of the Controller having to be changed, which will then enable the smart switch to initialize the setup procedure.

In a case of hardware, the smart switch invention gets the benefits by only having to replace the existing switches. The hardware is designed such that the switch slots into existing switchboards, thus eliminating the need for extensive modification The smart switch only converts a software input to a specific hardware operation which is atomic, and hence no state changes need to be preserved. This eliminates the local storage and battery back-up to store transient data. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a secure, seamless cloud-controlled smart switch system having a Remote Terminal Unit (RTU), and one or more switches. The setup comprises, the switch integrating with its respective RTU wherein the RTU sends an encrypted positive or accept response, based on a prior configured parent-child relationship received from the Timer Node as output to the switch. On receiving a positive response from the RTU, the switch stores the Device ID of the RTU and connects to its parent from thereon. The RTU connects securely to the cloud- based server, receives the list of devices it has to manage from the cloud-based server and creates a protected local mesh by only accepting the devices that are part of the internal list. The user interaction comprises, one or more users interacting with the switch using a mobile application, a mobile website or a desktop browser and the users sending control messages for one or more switch operations via the Internet from anywhere in the world. Secure processing between the users and the devices is enabled, and the user's control messages reach the RTU who decodes information from the cloud-based server, identifies the switch and then transmits the command to the switch. The switch executes the operation that is requested and sends a status message to the RTU as the output. The RTU receives the status message from the switch and forwards it to the backend as a REST message. User message consumption comprises parameters of the REST message which are processed and forwarded via a notification service. Application used for the interaction with the switch receives the notification and appropriately renders it in GUI for user's consumption.

The smart switch integration is through an RTU having, an Apache Server Cluster and a Timer Node hosted in the Internet cloud via a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Interface (I/F), over a ZigBee protocol having an optional WiFi Interface (I/F), and a smart switch. The interfaces used are, a Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) to the user for interaction with the backend, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) for the RTU to interact with the backend, ZigBee for the RTU and Switch interaction, and a WiFi Interface in case a SIM or GPRS option is not available. The Apache Server Cluster hosts the REpresentational State Transfer (REST) Application Programming Interface (API) that are executed by the mobile application, mobile website or desktop browser, for the user to perform any action, and the switch status message to be sent from the RTU. The Timer Node has a direct connection to all the RTUs, further managing actual commands to be sent securely, validating the RTUs, and also sends the list of switches that need to be managed. The switch and the RTU are maintained in a parent-child relationship with a backend application running in the Internet cloud to ensure that the switch is managed only by its parent. The RTU creates a protected mesh and accepts the legitimate devices that request to join the network. The RTU Core powers up by connecting to the Timer Node via a Secure Communication socket and registers itself. The RTU uses Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) to send the status to the backend. The end user is notified of status messages via the notification service. The RTU Core is composed of a Python code running in a Linux micro-controller and handles schedules, secure connection to the cloud backend and upgrade the state machine.

Further, the RTU comprises a user Pushbutton switch, an ElectroMagnetic (EM) Relay, Power supply, and a ZigBee module and controller. The Pushbutton on the switch mimics the current manual switch functionality. The ZigBee module is configured in a router mode to send and receive commands, and also act as a command forwarder in the mesh network. The switch talks to the RTU via the ZigBee protocol. The RTU sends commands over the ZigBee network to the actual switch to be operated. The Relay does the actual operation of the switch on or off through the Relay Driver to provide the command input to do the necessary operation to make or break the circuit. The Relay Driver gets the input from the ZigBee module and controller, converts the command and inputs to the Relay for the actual operation. The Power supply converts the existing 220V AC to 5V or 3.3V DC for the operation of the microelectronics. The Switch consists of, PCB 1 houses a ZigBee module along with the Pushbutton switch with a Blue Light Emitting Diode (LED), and a PCB2 that contains the Relay with 5V and the Power supply unit having AC-DC enclosed in a casing. The Power supply unit steps down the input AC to operate the microelectronics. A Tl CC2530 Controller communicates with the switch with the Blue LED (which is a manual switch), using General-Purpose Input-Output (GPIO) as the interface to the LED. The AC-DC gives 3.3V power to the Tl CC2530 Controller. The PCB 1 further comprises a Tl CC2530 Chipset component and a Trace Antenna component. The ZigBee module on the front of the switch is arranged such that the alignment of the switch with the Blue LED is relatively centered. The PCB2 houses the Relay with 5V and the Power supply unit having AC-DC. The Component on the side of the switch holds the power module to step down the 220V AC to 3.3V or 5V DC for the microelectronics, for the EM Relay which does the on or off operation and for the safety circuits in the case of a power surge to protect the switch. The Blue LED Pushbutton switches plastic incorporates the entire electronics to be concealed and can easily slot into the Switchboard as per the standard switch dimensions. The size of the PCB2 was dependent on space available inside the Switchboard along with the smart switch casing. The casing takes care of the electromagnetic attenuation to be minimal, hence, designed using a plastic polymer of high durability for lasting operation. The present invention also proposes a method for the smart switch comprising the steps of setup, user interaction, secure processing and user message consumption wherein: a. Setap further comprises the steps of (a) The switch integrating with its respective RTU wherein the RTU sends an encrypted response, based on a prior configured parent-child relationship received from the Timer Node as output to the switch; (b) On receiving a positive response from the RTU, the switch stores the Device ID of the RTU and connects to its parent from thereon; (c) The RTU first connecting securely to an Internet cloud, receives a list of devices it has to manage; and (d) the RTU creating a protected local mesh by only accepting devices that are part of an internal list; b. User Interaction further comprises the steps of (a) One or more users interacting with the switch using a a mobile application, a mobile website or a desktop browser; and (b) Users sending control messages for one or more switch operations via the Internet from anywhere in the world; c. Secure processing between the users and a device further comprises the steps of (a) the user's control messages reaching the RTU who decodes information from the cloud-based server, identifies the switch and then transmits a command to the switch over a ZigBee Protocol; (b) the switch executing the operation that is requested, further sending a status message to the RTU as output; and (c) The RTU sending a status via the Internet cloud as a REST message using a REpresentational State Transfer (REST) Application Programming Interface (API), to the backend; and cl. User message consum tion further comprises the steps of (a) Parameters of the REST message being processed and forwarded via a notification service; and (b) Application used for interaction with the switch receiving a notification and appropriately rendering it in a GUI for user's consumption, BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 shows the overall view of the electro-mechanical smart switch along with the software and user interaction components.

Figure 2 shows the breakdown of the component into the building blocks.

Figure 3 shows the communication between the smart switch and the Remote Terminal Unit (RTU).

Figure 4 shows the PCB 1 and PCB 2 component block design.

Figure 5 shows the designed schematic of the PCB 1.

Figure 6 shows the designed schematic of PCB2 connected to PCB 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED DRAWINGS

Figure 1 shows the overall view of the electro-mechanical smart switch along with the software and user interaction components. The smart switch replaces the existing manual switch. The Internet cloud 4 is the transport mechanism to reach the devices from anywhere in the world. The end user 9 interacts with the devices either through a a mobile application 6, a mobile website 7, or a desktop browser 8. The cloud-based server 5 manages the users, performs analytics, manages the end devices so that the user commands can be processed, and forwarded to the Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) 2. The RTU 2 decodes the information from the Internet cloud 4, identifies the smart switch 1 and then transmits the command to the smart switch in consideration over the ZigBee protocol 3 to the smart switch. Since the RTU 2 has to register with the Internet cloud 4 using secure sockets, only the legitimate controller can get the appropriate commands.

Figure 2 shows the breakdown of the component into the building blocks. A Timer Node 19 has a direct socket connection to all the RTUs 11 it manages. The Timer Node 19 handles the actual command to be sent over a secure socket and validates the RTU 11. The RTU 11 connects securely to the Tinier Node, recei ves the list of devices it has to manage from the cloud and creates a protected local mesh by only accepting the devices that are part of an internal list. The RTU Core 13 powers up by connecting to the Timer Node 19 via a Secure Communication socket 17 and registers itself. The Secure Communication socket 17 has a stateful connection to receive commands. The Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) connection is used to securely send the status to the backend. The RTU Core 13 is composed of a Python code running in a Linux micro-controller and handles schedules, secure connection to the cloud backend and upgrade the state machine.

The RTU 11 will have to be connected to the Internet via one of the two modes, which is WiFi Interface (I/F) 16 in case SIM or GPRS option is not available or General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Interface (I/F) 15 for the RTU 11 to interact with the backend and ZigBee for the RTU 11 and switch 10 interaction. A status message of any smart switch is sent to the backend Web server, implemented by an Apache Server Cluster 20. The Apache Server Cluster 20 hosts the REpresentational State Transfer (REST) Application Programming Interface (API) that are executed by the mobile application or browser, for the user to perform any action and for a switch status message to be sent from the RTU 11. The RTU 11 sends the status to the Apache Sever Cluster 20 as a REST message. The status message is processed, forwarded to the end user and is notified via the notification service. The RTU 11 consists of a ZigBee coordinator that communicates with the smart switches. The switch 10 and the RTU 11 will be maintained in a parent-child relationship in the backend application running in the Internet cloud 18 which will ensure that the smart switch 10 will only be managed by its parent controller. The smart switch 10, on the other hand, during the initial automatic start-up sequence will connect to the RTU 11. Once the RTU 11 validates and identifies the switch 10, the smart switch reconfigures itself to be available for manipulation only by its parent controller. Figure 3 shows the communication between the smart switch and the RTU. The smart switch 21 will talk to the RTU 22 via the ZigBee protocol. The RTU 22 will get the commands over a secure communication mode of the cloud backend application. The RTU 22 then sends the commands over a ZigBee network to the actual smart switch in question. The ZigBee module and controller 28 is configured in a router mode to send and receive commands, and also act as a command forwarder in the mesh network. The RTU 22 consists of a ZigBee switch Communication Module 25, a Linux controller 27 which is the RTU's Operating System (OS) being the Linux micro-controller called OpenWrt, a GPRS Internet I/F 26, a Secure Communication socket and Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) interface (I/F) 23, and a WiFi Internet I/F 24.

OpenWrt is an open source project to be used in the embedded operating system that is based on Linux. It is used to route network traffic to the embedded devices. The main components of OpenWrt are Linux, util-Linux, uClibc or musl, and BusyBox. All components are made to gain on the parameters of size, which is small to be fit in the limited storage and the memory available in the home routers.

The smart switch 21 consists of a user Pushbutton switch 30, a Relay Driver and an ElectroMagnetic (EM) Relay and Power supply 29, and a ZigBee module and controller 28. Figure 4 shows the PCB 1 and PCB 2 component block design. One PCB is placed on the front, and another is on the side. The reason for such placement of the PCBs is to incorporate the electronics by the size considerations of the existing switch sizes. One PCB would have been too big to slot into the existing space. Hence, careful thought was given to the design and alignment. The PCB l 31 houses the ZigBee module 37 along with the user Pushbutton switch with a Blue Light Emitting Diode (LED) 39. The PCB2 32 contains the Relay 36 with 5V 35 and the Power supply unit 33 having AC-DC. The Power supply unit 33 steps down the input AC to operate the microelectronics. A Tl CC2530 Controller 38 that is from TI chip family communicates with a switch with the Blue LED 39 (which is a manual switch), using General-Purpose Input- Output (GPIO) 40 as an interface to the LED. The AC-DC 34 gives 3.3V 42 power to the Tl CC2530 Controller 38.

Figure 5 shows the designed schematic of the PCB l, with the PCB2 Connector 47 at the top block connects one or more PCBs and the ZigBee module 44 in the bottom block. The PCB l 45 contains a CC 2530 Chipset component 43 and a Trace Antenna component 48. The CC 2530 Chipset component 43 is a Second Generation System-on-Chip Solution for 2.4 GHz IEEE 802.15.4 / RF4CE / ZigBee 40-VQFN -40 to 125. The ZigBee module 44 on the front of the smart switch was designed keeping into consideration, the alignment of the switch with the Blue LED 46 to be relatively centered. The antenna has to be placed in the front to receive the radio commands from the Controller device. If placed in the back, the signals would not be strong enough, and the smart switch would not respond to the Controller's requests. The size of the PCB was designed to incorporate the standard switch width including the casing. The size of the antenna resulted in the switch with Blue LED 46 to be placed fractionally higher than the middle.

Figure 6 shows the designed schematic of the PCB2 connected to PCB l. The PCBs assembled view contain a Component 55 which is a step-down transformer to step signals down as required, in order to match the signals between the PCBs to avoid quality deterioration through impedance matching, capacitors (56a, 56b) used to store an electric charge, electric circuit connector wire 50, an ElectroMagnetic Relay 51 and Power electronics circuit component (49a, 49b, 49c, 49d, 49e). The Component 55 on the side of the smart switch has been designed to hold the power module to step down the 220V AC to 3.3V or 5V DC for the microelectronics, for the EM Relay 51 which does the on or off operation and for the safety circuits in the case of a power surge to protect the smart switch. The size of the PCB2 was dependent on the space available inside the Switchboard along with the smart switch casing. The casing takes care of the electromagnetic attenuation to be minimal. Hence, it was designed using a plastic polymer of high durability for lasting operation. The Blue LED Pushbutton switches plastic 52 incorporates the entire electronics to be concealed and can easily slot into the Switchboard as per the standard switch dimensions.

Claims

A secure, seamless cloud-con (rolled smart switch haying (a) a Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) 2, (b) one or more switches 1, (c) a Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure(HTTPS) interface 23 for one or more users to interact with a backend, (d) a Genera! Packet Radio Service (GPRS) interface (I/F) 26 for the RTUs to backend interaction, and (e) a ZigBee interface 3 for the RTUs to interact with the switches, wherein: a. Setup comprises (a) The switch 1 integrating with its respective RTU 2 wherein the RTU sends an encrypted response, based on a prior configured parent-child relationship received from a Timer Node as output to the switch; (b) On receiving a positive or accepted response from the RTU 2, the switch 1 stores a Device ID of the RTU 2 and connects to its parent from thereon; (c) The RTU 2 first connects securely to an Internet cloud 4, receives a list of devices it has to manage from a cloud-based server 5; and (d) the RTU 2 creates a protected local mesh by only accepting devices that are part of an internal list; b. User interaction comprises (a) One or more users interacting with the switch using a mobile application 6, a mobile website 7 or a desktop browser 8; and (b) Users 9 sending control messages for one or more switch operations via the Internet from anywhere in the world; c. Secure processing between the users and a device is enabled as (a) the user's control messages reach the RTU 2 who decodes information from the cloud-based server 5, identifies the switch 1 and then transmits a command to the switch 1 over a ZigBee Protocol 3; (b) the switch 1 executes the operation that is requested, and sends a status message to the RTU 2 as output; and (c) The RTU 2 sends a status to a Apache Sever Cluster 20 as a REST message using a REpresentational State Transfer (REST) Application Programming Interface (API), to the backend; and d, User message consumption comprises (a) Parameters of the REST message which are processed and forwarded via a notification service; and (b) Application used for interaction with the switch, receives a notification and appropriately renders it in a GUI for user's 9 consumption,

A smart switch of Claim 1, wherein the smart switch integration is through an RTU 11 having, (a) an Apache Server Cluster 20 and a Timer Node 19, hosted in an Internet cloud 18 via (c) a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Interface (I/F) 15, (d) over a ZigBee protocol, (e) having an optional WiFi Interface (I/F) 16, and (g) a smart switch 10, wherein: a. The Apache Server Cluster 20 hosts the REpresentational State Transfer (REST) Application Programming Interface (API) that are executed by the mobile application or browser, for the user to perform any action, and a switch status message to be sent from the RTU; b. The Timer Node 19 has a direct connection to all the RTUs 11, further managing actual commands sent securely, validating the RTUs 11 and also sends a list of switches that need to be managed; c. The switch 10 and the RTU 11 are maintained in a parent-child relationship with a backend application running in the Internet cloud 18 to ensure that the switch 10 is managed only by its parent controller; d. On power up, the RTU 11 registers itself to the Timer Node 19 via a Secure Communication socket 17, it then creates a protected mesh by accepting legitimate devices that request to join the network; e. The Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) connection is used to securely send status updates; and f. The end user is notified of status messages via the notification service.

3. A smart switch of Claim 1, wherein the RTU Core 13 is composed of a Python code running in a Linux micro-controller and handles schedules, secure connection to the cloud backend, and upgrade the state machine.

4. A smart switch of Claim 1, wherein the RTU comprises, (a) a user

Pushbutton switch 30, (b) an ElectroMagnetic (EM) Relay and Power supply 29, and (c) a ZigBee module and controller 28, wherein: a. The Pushbutton on the switch 30 mimics the current manual switch functionality; b. The ZigBee module and controller 28 is configured in a router mode to send and receive commands, and also act as a command forwarder in a mesh network; c. The switch 21 talks to the RTU 22 via the ZigBee protocol and the RTU 22 sends the commands over the ZigBee network to the actual switch to be operated; and d. The Relay does the actual operation of the switch on or off through the Relay Driver 29 to provide command input to do the necessary operation to make or break the circuit, wherein:

A. The Relay Driver 29 gets the input from the ZigBee module and controller 28, converts the command and inputs to the Relay for the actual operation; and

B. The Power supply 33 converts the existing 230V AC to 5V or 3.3V

DC for the operation of microelectronics.

A smart switch of Claim 1, further comprising a VViFi interface (I/F) 24 in the case a S IM or GPRS option is not available.

A smart switch of Claim 1, wherein the Switch consists of, (a) a PCB 1 (31 , 45) houses a ZigBee module (37,44) along with a Pushbutton switch with a Blue Light Emitting Diode (LED) 46, (b) a PCB2 32 that contains a Relay 36 with 5V 35 and a Power supply unit (33, 34) having AC-DC enclosed in a casing, and a PCB2 Connector 47 connects one or more PCBs, wherein: a. The Power supply unit (33, 34) steps down the input AC to operate the microelectronic s ; b. A Tl CC2530 Controller 38 communicates with the switch with the Blue LED 39 (which is a manual switch), using a General-Purpose Input-Output (GPIO) 40 as an interface to the LED; c. The AC-DC (33, 34) gives 3.3V 42 power to the Tl CC2530 Controller 38; d. The PCB 1 45 further comprises a CC 2530 Chipset component 43 and a Trace Antenna component 48; e. The ZigBee Module 44 on the front of the switch is arranged such that the alignment of the switch with the Blue LED 46 is relatively centered; f. The PCB2 32 houses the Relay with 5V 35 and the Power supply unit (33, 34) having AC-DC; g. The Component 55 on the side of the switch holds the power module to step down the 220V AC to 3.3V or 5V DC for the microelectronics, for the EM Relay 51 which does the on or off operation and for the safety circuits in the case of a power surge to protect the switch; h. A Blue LED pushbutton switches plastic 52 incorporates entire electronics to be concealed and can easily slot into a Switchboard as per the standard switch dimensions; and i. A casing takes care of the electromagnetic attenuation to be minimal, hence, designed using a plastic polymer of high durability for lasting operation.

. A method for a secure, seamless cloud-controlled smart switch having (a) a Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) 2, (b) one or more switches 1, (c) a Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure(HTTPS) interface 23 for one or more users to interact with the backend, (d) a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) interface (I/F) 26 for the RTUs to backend interaction, and (e) a ZigBee interface 3 for the RTUs to interact with the switches, comprising the steps of: a. Setup further comprising the steps of (a) The switch 1 integrating with its respective RTU 2 wherein the RTU sends an encrypted response, based on a prior configured parent-child relationship received from the Timer Node as output to the switch; (b) On receiving a positive response from the RTU 2, the switch 1 storing a Device ID of the RTU 2 and connecting to its parent from thereon; (c) The RTU 2 first connecting securely to an Internet cloud 4, receiving a list of devices it has to manage from a cloud-based server 5; and (d) the RTU 2 creating a protected local mesh by only accepting devices that are part of an internal list; b. User Interaction further comprising the steps of (a) One or more users interacting with the switch using a mobile application 6, a mobile website 7 or a desktop browser 8; and (b) Users 9 sending control messages for one or more switch operations via the Internet from anywhere in the world; c. Secure processing between the users and a device further comprising the steps of (a) the user's control messages reaching the RTU 2 who decodes information from the cloud-based server 5, identifies the switch 1 and then transmits a command to the switc 1 over a ZigBee Protocol 3; (b) the switch 1 executing the operation that is requested, further sending a status message to the RTU 2 as output; and (c) The RTU 2 sending a status via the internet cloud 4 as a REST message using a REpresentational State Transfer (REST) Application Programming Interface (API), to the backend; and

User message consumption further comprising the steps of (a) Parameters of the REST message being processed and forwarded via a notification service; and (b) Application used for interaction with the switch receiving a notification and appropriately rendering it in a GUI for user's 9 consumption.