EP4681095A1

EP4681095A1 - Intermediate fabric for network commissioning

Info

Publication number: EP4681095A1
Application number: EP23748164.3A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Christopher Joseph LETNICK; Alexei Sakhartchouk
Original assignee: Google LLC
Current assignee: Google LLC
Priority date: 2023-06-22
Filing date: 2023-06-22
Publication date: 2026-01-21
Also published as: CN121127846A; WO2024263189A1

Abstract

Techniques and devices for sharing devices between Matter fabrics are described in which a first Matter administrator of the first Matter fabric creates an intermediate fabric, adds one or more Matter devices to the intermediate fabric, and adds a second Matter administrator to the intermediate fabric. The first Matter administrator grants, to the second Matter administrator, administrative rights to the intermediate fabric, the granting being effective to enable the second Matter administrator to add the one or more Matter devices to the second fabric.

Description

INTERMEDIATE FABRIC FOR NETWORK COMMISSIONING

BACKGROUND

[0001] Using networking to connect devices to each other and to cloud-based services is increasingly popular for sensing environmental conditions, controlling equipment, and providing information and alerts to users for residential and commercial buildings. Many devices on wireless networks are designed to operate for extended periods of time on battery-power which limits the available computing, user interface, and radio resources in the devices.

[0002] This increasing popularity has led to multiple vendor-specific ecosystems of devices and networking protocols that may not interoperate. To improve the user experience for these devices and networks, standards, such as the Matter standard, are under development to provide interoperability between devices and services of multiple vendors. Sharing a Matter device from a first Matter administrator’s security domain to a second Matter administrator’s security domain can be challenging for a user and there are opportunities to improve this sharing process.

SUMMARY

[0003] In aspects, methods, devices, systems, and means for sharing devices from a first Matter fabric to a second Matter fabric are described in which a first Matter administrator of the first Matter fabric creates an intermediate fabric, adds one or more Matter devices to the intermediate fabric, and adds a second Matter administrator to the intermediate fabric. The first Matter administrator grants, to the second Matter administrator, administrative rights to the intermediate fabric, the granting being effective to enable the second Matter administrator to add the one or more Matter devices to the second fabric.

[0004] In some aspects, methods, devices, systems, and means for sharing devices from a first Matter fabric to a second Matter fabric are described in which a second Matter Administrator receives from a first Matter administrator, a grant of administrative rights to an intermediate fabric, the intermediate fabric including one or more Matter devices that are included in the first Matter fabric. The second Matter administrator joins the one or more Matter devices to the second fabric and removes the first Matter administrator from the intermediate fabric.

[0005] In additional aspects, methods, devices, systems, and means for sharing devices from a first Matter fabric to a second Matter fabric are described in which a second Matter administrator receives from a first Matter administrator, a grant of administrative rights to an intermediate fabric, the intermediate fabric including one or more Matter devices that are included in a first Matter fabric. The second Matter administrator joins the one or more Matter devices to a second fabric and removes the first Matter administrator from the intermediate fabric. [0006] The details of one or more implementations are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the following description. Other features and advantages will be apparent from the description and drawings and from the claims. This summary is provided to introduce subject matter that is further described in the Detailed Description and Drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Aspects of an intermediate fabric for network commissioning are described with reference to the following drawings. The same numbers are used throughout the drawings to reference like features and components:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example network environment in which various aspects of an intermediate fabric for network commissioning can be implemented.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example home area network system in which various aspects of an intermediate fabric for network commissioning can be implemented.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example system in which various aspects of an intermediate fabric for network commissioning can be implemented.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example method of an intermediate fabric for network commissioning in accordance with aspects of the techniques described herein.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example method of an intermediate fabric for network commissioning in accordance with aspects of the techniques described herein.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example environment in which a home area network can be implemented in accordance with aspects of the techniques described herein.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example wireless network device that can be implemented in a home area network environment in accordance with one or more aspects of the techniques described herein.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example system with an example device that can implement aspects of an intermediate fabric for network commissioning.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0008] This document describes techniques and devices for sharing a Matter device from a first Matter administrator’s security domain to a second Matter administrator’s security domain. The existing method for administrator-assisted commissioning for Matter devices has limitations that complicate the process for the user. For example, both the first and second Matter administrators must be on-line concurrently, both Matter administrators must have access to their respective security domains concurrently, the Matter device to be commissioned must be accessible to both administrators at the same time, and the process must be completed within fifteen minutes, as required by Matter specification.

[0009] A Matter fabric is a security domain within Matter. A Matter device can be configured for up to five Matter fabrics at a time. A Matter administrator is a Matter device capable of adding (joining, commissioning) other Matter devices to security domain(s) in which the Matter device is an administrator. A Matter administrator is also capable of removing any or all other security domains on a Matter device to which the Matter administrator has administrative access. The Matter devices, administrators and other Matter entities described herein relate to Matter standard, which is an open-source connectivity standard for smart home and Internet of Things devices, which aims to improve their compatibility and security. Version 1.0 of the Matter standard was published on 4 October 2022.

[0010] In aspects, an intermediate fabric is an ephemeral Matter fabric that is used to add a temporary security domain to Matter devices. An initiating Matter administrator is a Matter administrator capable of creating the intermediate Matter fabric and adding Matter devices to the security domain of the intermediate Matter fabric. A receiving Matter administrator is a Matter administrator capable of receiving access to an intermediate Matter fabric. As discussed in detail below, the use of the intermediate fabric overcomes the limitations of existing techniques sharing Matter devices from a first Matter administrator’s security domain to a second Matter administrator’s security domain while maintaining a secure process for transferring the Matter devices between security domains of Matter administrators that may be from different ecosystems and/or operating in different environments (e.g., operating systems) and without reliance on a single, fully-shared root of trust.

Example Environment

[0011] FIG. 1 illustrates an example network environment 100 in which aspects of an intermediate fabric for network commissioning can be implemented. The network environment 100 includes a home area network (HAN) such as a HAN 200, described below with respect to FIG. 2. The HAN includes wireless network devices 102 that are disposed about a structure 104, such as a house, and are connected by one or more wireless and/or wired network technologies, as described below. The HAN includes a border router 106 that connects the HAN to an external network 108, such as the Internet, through a home router or access point 110.

[0012] To provide user access to functions implemented using the wireless network devices 102 in the HAN, a cloud service 112 connects to the HAN via border router 106 or a Matter hub device, via a secure tunnel 114 through the external network 108 and the access point 110. The cloud service 112 facilitates communication between the HAN and internet clients 116, such as apps on mobile devices, using a web-based application programming interface (API) 118. The cloud service 112 also manages a home graph that describes connections and relationships between the wireless network devices 102, elements of the structure 104, and users. The home graph may be implemented using any suitable data structure, such as a tree, a relational database, or the like. The cloud service 112 hosts controllers which orchestrate and arbitrate home automation experiences, as described in greater detail below.

[0013] The HAN may include one or more wireless network devices 102 that function as a hub 120. The hub 120 may be a general-purpose home automation hub, a network-connected speaker, or an application-specific hub, such as a security hub, an energy management hub, an HVAC hub, and so forth. The functionality of a hub 120 may also be integrated into any wireless network device 102, such as a smart thermostat device or the border router 106. In addition to hosting controllers on the cloud service 112, controllers can be hosted on any hub 120 in the structure 104, such as the border router 106. A controller hosted on the cloud service 112 can be moved dynamically to the hub 120 in the structure 104, such as moving an HVAC zone controller to a newly installed smart thermostat.

[0014] Hosting functionality on the hub 120 in the structure 104 can improve reliability when the user's internet connection is unreliable, can reduce latency of operations that would normally have to connect to the cloud service 112, and can satisfy system and regulatory constraints around local access between wireless network devices 102.

[0015] The wireless network devices 102 in the HAN may be from a single manufacturer that provides the cloud service 112 as well, or the HAN may include wireless network devices 102 from partners. These partners may also provide partner cloud services 122 that provide services related to their wireless network devices 102 through a partner Web API 124. The partner cloud service 122 may optionally or additionally provide services to internet clients 116 via the web-based API 118, the cloud service 112, and the secure tunnel 114.

[0016] The network environment 100 can be implemented on a variety of hosts, such as battery-powered microcontroller-based devices, line-powered devices, and servers that host cloud services. Protocols operating in the wireless network devices 102 and the cloud service 112 provide a number of services that support operations of home automation experiences in the distributed computing environment 100. These services include, but are not limited to, real-time distributed data management and subscriptions, command-and-response control, real-time event notification, historical data logging and preservation, cryptographically controlled security groups, time synchronization, network and service pairing, and software updates.

[0017] FIG. 2 illustrates an example home area network system (e.g., Matter network, Weave network, fabric network) in which various aspects of an intermediate fabric for network commissioning can be implemented. The home area network (HAN) 200 (Matter network 200) includes a wireless mesh network 202 (e.g., a Thread network) and Wi-Fi device(s) 210. The HAN 200 may also include wired network devices (e.g., Ethernet device(s) 214). The wireless mesh network 202 includes routers 206 and end devices 208. The routers 206 and the end devices 208, each include a mesh network interface for communication over the mesh network 202. The routers 206 receive and transmit packet data over the mesh network interface. The routers 206 also route traffic across the mesh network 202. The end devices 208 are devices that can communicate using the mesh network 202, but lack the capability, beyond simply forwarding to its parent router 206, to route traffic in the mesh network 202. For example, a battery-powered sensor is one type of end device 208. Each Wi-Fi device 210 includes a Wi-Fi network interface for communication over a Wi-Fi network. The Wi-Fi devices 210 and/or the Ethernet devices 214 can include home automation devices as well as devices that include applications to control Matter devices (e.g., a smartphone, a tablet, a network-connected speaker).

[0018] An ecosystem controller 216a (e.g., a Matter controller) can include the border router 106, which in turn, is included in the wireless mesh network 202. The border router 106 includes a mesh network interface for communication over the mesh network 202 and a Wi-Fi network interface for communication over the Wi-Fi network 204, or the border router 106 uses the Wi-Fi network interface of the ecosystem controller 216a for communication over the Wi-Fi network 204. The border router 106 routes packets between devices in the wireless mesh network 202 and the access point 110, which can forward packets to other devices in the HAN 200. The border router 106 also routes packets between devices in the mesh network 202 and external network nodes (e.g., the cloud service 112) via the external network 108, such as the Internet, through a home router or access point 110.

[0019] The HAN 200 includes one or more ecosystem controllers 216 that provide an interface between devices from an ecosystem vendor and the access point 110. For example, the ecosystem controller 216a provides an interface between the mesh network 202 (a Thread network) and the access point 110. Optionally, the HAN 200 may include other ecosystem controllers, such as ecosystem controller 216b, to interface to devices from other ecosystem vendors. Additionally, other, devices from another loT network 218 (e.g., non-Matter compatible ecosystem devices) can be connected to the access point 110 by a Matter gateway 220 that provides connectivity for Matter-capable applications to devices in the other loT network 218.

[0020] The devices in the mesh network 202, the Wi-Fi device(s) 210, the Ethernet device(s) 214, the ecosystem controllers 216, and Matter gateway 220 use standard IP routing configurations to communicate with each other through transport protocols such as the User Datagram Protocol (UDP) or the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP). Intermediate Fabric

[0021] In aspects, establishing an intermediate fabric enables asynchronous sharing of devices between Matter controllers using this intermediate fabric while maintaining multi-fabric administration of Matter devices. FIG. 3 illustrates an example system in which various aspects of an intermediate fabric for network commissioning can be implemented. The network devices 306a, 306b, and 306c (e.g., wireless network device 102) are initially controlled by the ecosystem controller 304a and are included in the security domain of the initiating administrator 302a, as shown at 308. For example, the initiating administration 302a and the ecosystem controller 304a are associated with a first ecosystem vendor that also manufactured the network devices 306a, 306b, and 306c.

[0022] To share the network devices 306a, 306b, and 306c with the ecosystem controller 304b, the initiating Matter administrator 302a creates an intermediate Matter fabric to which the initiating Matter administrator 302a has administrative access. The initiating Matter administrator 302a then adds a set of (one or more) Matter devices (e.g., the network devices 306a, 306b, and 306c), that are included in a security domain of a first Matter fabric and to which the initiating Matter administrator 302a has administrative rights, to the security domain of the intermediate Matter fabric. A user can share any portion of devices in the first fabric with the second fabric, using the intermediate Matter fabric.

[0023] The initiating Matter administrator 302a adds a receiving Matter administrator 302b to the security domain of the intermediate Matter fabric. The initiating Matter administrator 302a grants administrative access for the intermediate Matter fabric to the receiving Matter administrator 302b. The addition of the receiving Matter administrator 302b to the security domain of the intermediate Matter fabric and/or granting administrative rights to the receiving Matter administrator 302b can be done at any time after the initial setup of the intermediate Matter fabric. This overcomes the time limits of existing techniques and the need for concurrent access to the security domains of both the initiating administrator and the receiving administrator.

[0024] The addition of the receiving Matter administrator 302b to the security domain of the intermediate Matter fabric and/or granting administrative rights to the receiving Matter administrator 302b is via a secure channel 310 established between the initiating Matter administrator 302a and the receiving Matter administrator 302b. The secure channel 310 can be implemented using on-device Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), inter-device communication (e.g. the Matter interaction model), cloud service interactions, or any combination thereof. Optionally or additionally, names assigned to the device(s) and other device related attributes, such as a location (which room in a structure) of the device(s) can be transferred between the first fabric and the second fabric. [0025] To provide the ecosystem controller 304b access to the set of devices (e.g., the network devices 306a, 306b, and 306c) as shown at 312, the receiving Matter administrator 302b adds the set of Matter devices in the security domain of the intermediate Matter fabric to the security domain of a second Matter Fabric to which the receiving Matter administrator 302b is an administrator. Once the set of devices (e.g., the network devices 306a, 306b, and 306c) are added to the security domain of the second Matter fabric, the receiving Matter administrator 302b removes the storage of the intermediate Matter fabric from these Matter devices to remove these devices from the intermediate fabric. Removing the intermediate Matter fabric before the completion of the sharing of the set of Matter devices can avoid exceeding the number of fabrics supported by a Matter device. Once the set of devices (e.g., the network devices 306a, 306b, and 306c) are added to the security domain of the second Matter fabric, the receiving Matter administrator 302b removes the initiating Matter administrator 302a from the intermediate Matter fabric, which terminates the existence of the intermediate Matter fabric.

Example Methods

[0026] Example methods 400 and 500 are described with reference to FIGs. 4 and 5 in accordance with one or more aspects of an intermediate fabric for network commissioning. Generally, any of the components, modules, methods, and operations described herein can be implemented using software, firmware, hardware e.g., fixed logic circuitry), manual processing, or any combination thereof. Some operations of the example methods may be described in the general context of executable instructions stored on computer-readable storage memory that is local and/or remote to a computer processing system, and implementations can include software applications, programs, functions, and the like. Alternatively or in addition, any of the functionality described herein can be performed, at least in part, by one or more hardware logic components, such as, and without limitation, Field-programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), Application-specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Application-specific Standard Products (ASSPs), System-on-a-chip systems (SoCs), Complex Programmable Logic Devices (CPLDs), and the like. The order in which the method blocks are described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described method blocks can be combined in any order or skipped to implement a method or an alternate method.

[0027] FIG. 4 illustrates example method(s) 400 of an intermediate fabric for network commissioning as generally related to an initiating Matter administrator that shares devices from a first fabric to a second fabric. At block 402, a first Matter administrator of the first fabric creates an intermediate fabric. For example, a first Matter administrator (e.g., the initiating administrator 302a) creates an intermediate fabric. [0028] At block 404, the first Matter administrator adds one or more Matter devices to the intermediate fabric. For example, the first Matter administrator adds one or more devices (e.g., network devices 306a, 306b, and/or 306c) to the intermediate fabric. The one or more devices can be added to the intermediate fabric based on their spatial position, their type, upon a request received by the first Matter administrator, or a request initiated by a user of the devices.

[0029] At block 406, the first Matter administrator adds a second Matter administrator to the intermediate fabric. For example, the first Matter administrator adds a second Matter administrator (e.g., the receiving administrator 302b) to the intermediate fabric.

[0030] At block 408, the first Matter administrator grants, to the second Matter administrator, administrative rights to the intermediate fabric, the granting being effective to enable the second Matter administrator to add the one or more Matter devices to the second fabric. In other words, the first Matter administrator grants, to the second Matter administrator, administrative rights to add the one or more Matter devices to the intermediate fabric. For example, the first Matter administrator grants, to the second Matter administrator, administrative rights to the intermediate fabric, the granting being effective to enable the second Matter administrator to add the one or more Matter devices to the second fabric. Once the one or more devices are added to the second fabric, the one or more matter devices can be controlled by an ecosystem controller (e.g., ecosystem controller 304b) for the second fabric in addition to being controlled by an ecosystem controller (e.g., ecosystem controller 304a) for the first fabric.

[0031] FIG. 5 illustrates example method(s) 500 of an intermediate fabric for network commissioning as generally related to a receiving Matter administrator that receives devices shared from a first fabric to a second fabric. At block 502, a second Matter administrator receives from a first Matter administrator, a grant of administrative rights to an intermediate fabric, the intermediate fabric including one or more Matter devices that are included in a first Matter fabric. For example, a second Matter administrator (e.g., the receiving administrator 302b) receives from a first Matter administrator (e.g., initiating administrator 302a), a grant of administrative rights to an intermediate fabric, the intermediate fabric including one or more Matter devices (e.g., network devices 306a, 306b, and/or 306c) that are included in a first Matter fabric.

[0032] At block 504, the second Matter administrator j oins the one or more Matter devices to a second fabric. For example, the second Matter administrator joins the one or more Matter devices to a second fabric. Once the one or more devices are added to the second fabric, the one or more matter devices can be controlled by an ecosystem controller (e.g., ecosystem controller 304b) for the second fabric in addition to being controlled by an ecosystem controller (e.g., ecosystem controller 304a) for the first fabric. [0033] At block 506, the second Matter administrator removes the first Matter administrator from the intermediate fabric. For example, the second Matter administrator removes the first Matter administrator from the intermediate fabric. With the one or more devices and the second Matter administrator removed from the intermediate fabric, the intermediate fabric ceases to exist and the resources used by the devices and administrators to join the intermediate fabric are released and can be used to join additional fabrics.

Example Environments and Devices

[0034] FIG. 6 illustrates an example environment 600 in which a home area network 200, as described with reference to FIG. 2, and aspects of an intermediate fabric for network commissioning can be implemented. Generally, the environment 600 includes the home area network (HAN) 200 implemented as part of a home or other type of structure with any number of wireless and/or wired network devices that are configured for communication in a wireless network. For example, the wireless network devices can include a thermostat 602, hazard detectors 604 (e.g., for smoke and/or carbon monoxide), cameras 606 (e.g., indoor and outdoor), lighting units 608 (e.g., indoor and outdoor), and any other types of wireless network devices 610 that are implemented inside and/or outside of a structure 612 (e.g., in a home environment). In this example, the wireless network devices can also include any of the previously described devices, such as a border router 106, as well as any of the devices implemented as a router device 206, an end device 208, an ecosystem controller 216, and/or a Matter gateway 220.

[0035] In the environment 600, any number of the wireless network devices can be implemented for wireless interconnection to wirelessly communicate and interact with each other. The wireless network devices are modular, intelligent, multi-sensing, network-connected devices that can integrate seamlessly with each other and/or with a central server or a cloud-computing system to provide any of a variety of useful automation objectives and implementations. An example of a wireless network device that can be implemented as any of the devices described herein is shown and described with reference to FIG. 6.

[0036] In implementations, the thermostat 602 may include a Nest® Learning Thermostat that detects ambient climate characteristics (e.g., temperature and/or humidity) and controls a HVAC system 614 in the home environment. The learning thermostat 602 and other network- connected devices “learn” by capturing occupant settings to the devices. For example, the thermostat learns preferred temperature set-points for mornings and evenings, and when the occupants of the structure are asleep or awake, as well as when the occupants are typically away or at home. [0037] A hazard detector 604 can be implemented to detect the presence of a hazardous substance or a substance indicative of a hazardous substance (e.g., smoke, fire, or carbon monoxide). In examples of wireless interconnection, a hazard detector 604 may detect the presence of smoke, indicating a fire in the structure, in which case the hazard detector that first detects the smoke can broadcast a low-power wake-up signal to all of the connected wireless network devices. The other hazard detectors 604 can then receive the broadcast wake-up signal and initiate a high-power state for hazard detection and to receive wireless communications of alert messages. Further, the lighting units 608 can receive the broadcast wake-up signal and activate in the region of the detected hazard to illuminate and identify the problem area. In another example, the lighting units 608 may activate in one illumination color to indicate a problem area or region in the structure, such as for a detected fire or break-in, and activate in a different illumination color to indicate safe regions and/or escape routes out of the structure.

[0038] In various configurations, the wireless network devices 610 can include an entry way interface device 616 that functions in coordination with a network-connected door lock system 618, and that detects and responds to a person’s approach to or departure from a location, such as an outer door of the structure 612. The entryway interface device 616 can interact with the other wireless network devices based on whether someone has approached or entered the smart-home environment. An entry way interface device 616 can control doorbell functionality, announce the approach or departure of a person via audio or visual means, and control settings on a security system, such as to activate or deactivate the security system when occupants come and go. The wireless network devices 610 can also include other sensors and detectors, such as to detect ambient lighting conditions, detect room-occupancy states (e.g., with an occupancy sensor 620), and control a power and/or dim state of one or more lights. In some instances, the sensors and/or detectors may also control a power state or speed of a fan, such as a ceiling fan 622. Further, the sensors and/or detectors may detect occupancy in a room or enclosure and control the supply of power to electrical outlets or devices 624, such as if a room or the structure is unoccupied.

[0039] The wireless network devices 610 may also include connected appliances and/or controlled systems 626, such as refrigerators, stoves and ovens, washers, dryers, air conditioners, pool heaters 628, irrigation systems 630, security systems 632, and so forth, as well as other electronic and computing devices, such as televisions, network-connected televisions, network- connected media streaming devices, entertainment systems, computers, intercom systems, garagedoor openers 634, ceiling fans 622, control panels 636, and the like. When plugged in, an appliance, device, or system can announce itself to the home area network as described above and can be automatically integrated with the controls and devices of the home area network, such as in the home. It should be noted that the wireless network devices 610 may include devices physically located outside of the structure, but within wireless communication range, such as a device controlling a swimming pool heater 628 or an irrigation system 630.

[0040] As described above, the mesh network 202 includes a border router 106 that interfaces for communication with an external network, outside the mesh network 202. The border router 106 connects to an access point 110, which connects to the communication network 108, such as the Internet. A cloud service 112, which is connected via the communication network 108, provides services related to and/or using the devices within the HAN 200. By way of example, the cloud service 112 can include applications for connecting end user devices 638, such as smartphones, tablets, and the like, to devices in the home area network, processing and presenting data acquired in the HAN 200 to end users, linking devices in one or more HANs 200 to user accounts of the cloud service 112, provisioning and updating devices in the HAN 200, and so forth. For example, a user can control the thermostat 602 and other wireless network devices in the home environment using a network-connected computer or portable device, such as a mobile phone or tablet device. Further, the wireless network devices can communicate information to any central server or cloud-computing system via the border router 106, an ecosystem controller 216, a Matter gateway 220, and/or the access point 110. The data communications can be carried out using any of a variety of custom or standard wireless protocols (e.g., Wi-Fi, ZigBee for low power, 6L0WPAN, Thread, BLE, Matter, etc.) and/or by using any of a variety of custom or standard wired protocols (Ethernet, HomePlug, etc.).

[0041] Any of the wireless network devices in the HAN 200 can serve as low-power and communication nodes to create the HAN 200 in the home environment. Individual low-power nodes of the network can regularly send out messages regarding what they are sensing, and the other low-powered nodes in the environment - in addition to sending out their own messages - can repeat the messages, thereby communicating the messages from node to node (i.e., from device to device) throughout the home area network. The wireless network devices can be implemented to conserve power, particularly when battery-powered, utilizing low-powered communication protocols to receive the messages, translate the messages to other communication protocols, and send the translated messages to other nodes and/or to a central server or cloudcomputing system. For example, an occupancy and/or ambient light sensor can detect an occupant in a room as well as measure the ambient light, and activate the light source when the ambient light sensor 640 detects that the room is dark and when the occupancy sensor 620 detects that someone is in the room. Further, the sensor can include a low-power wireless communication chip (e.g., an IEEE 802.15.4 chip, a Thread chip, a ZigBee chip) that regularly sends out messages regarding the occupancy of the room and the amount of light in the room, including instantaneous messages coincident with the occupancy sensor detecting the presence of a person in the room. As mentioned above, these messages may be sent wirelessly, using the home area network, from node to node (i.e., network-connected device to network-connected device) within the home environment as well as over the Internet to a central server or cloud-computing system.

[0042] In other configurations, various ones of the wireless network devices can function as “tripwires” for an alarm system in the home environment. For example, in the event a perpetrator circumvents detection by alarm sensors located at windows, doors, and other entry points of the structure or environment, the alarm could still be triggered by receiving an occupancy, motion, heat, sound, etc. message from one or more of the low-powered mesh nodes in the home area network. In other implementations, the home area network can be used to automatically turn on and off the lighting units 608 as a person transitions from room to room in the structure. For example, the wireless network devices can detect the person’s movement through the structure and communicate corresponding messages via the nodes of the home area network. Using the messages that indicate which rooms are occupied, other wireless network devices that receive the messages can activate and/or deactivate accordingly. As referred to above, the home area network can also be utilized to provide exit lighting in the event of an emergency, such as by turning on the appropriate lighting units 608 that lead to a safe exit. The light units 608 may also be turned-on to indicate the direction along an exit route that a person should travel to safely exit the structure.

[0043] The various wireless network devices may also be implemented to integrate and communicate with wearable computing devices 642, such as may be used to identify and locate an occupant of the structure, and adjust the temperature, lighting, sound system, and the like accordingly. In other implementations, RFID sensing (e.g., a person having an RFID bracelet, necklace, or key fob), synthetic vision techniques (e.g., video cameras and face recognition processors), audio techniques (e.g., voice, sound pattern, vibration pattern recognition), ultrasound sensing/imaging techniques, and infrared or near-field communication (NFC) techniques (e.g., a person wearing an infrared or NFC-capable smartphone), along with rules-based inference engines or artificial intelligence techniques that draw useful conclusions from the sensed information as to the location of an occupant in the structure or environment.

[0044] In other implementations, personal comfort-area networks, personal health-area networks, personal safety-area networks, and/or other such human-facing functionalities of service robots can be enhanced by logical integration with other wireless network devices and sensors in the environment according to rules-based inferencing techniques or artificial intelligence techniques for achieving better performance of these functionalities. In an example relating to a personal health-area, the system can detect whether a household pet is moving toward the current location of an occupant (e.g., using any of the wireless network devices and sensors), along with rules-based inferencing and artificial intelligence techniques. Similarly, a hazard detector service robot can be notified that the temperature and humidity levels are rising in a kitchen, and temporarily raise a hazard detection threshold, such as a smoke detection threshold, under an inference that any small increases in ambient smoke levels will most likely be due to cooking activity and not due to a genuinely hazardous condition. Any service robot that is configured for any type of monitoring, detecting, and/or servicing can be implemented as a mesh node device on the home area network, conforming to the wireless interconnection protocols for communicating on the home area network.

[0045] The wireless network devices 610 may also include a network-connected alarm clock 644 for each of the individual occupants of the structure in the home environment. For example, an occupant can customize and set an alarm device for a wake time, such as for the next day or week. Artificial intelligence can be used to consider occupant responses to the alarms when they go off and make inferences about preferred sleep patterns over time. An individual occupant can then be tracked in the home area network based on a unique signature of the person, which is determined based on data obtained from sensors located in the wireless network devices, such as sensors that include ultrasonic sensors, passive IR sensors, and the like. The unique signature of an occupant can be based on a combination of patterns of movement, voice, height, size, etc., as well as using facial recognition techniques.

[0046] In an example of wireless interconnection, the wake time for an individual can be associated with the thermostat 602 to control the HVAC system in an efficient manner so as to pre-heat or cool the structure to desired sleeping and awake temperature settings. The preferred settings can be learned over time, such as by capturing the temperatures set in the thermostat before the person goes to sleep and upon waking up. Collected data may also include biometric indications of a person, such as breathing patterns, heart rate, movement, etc., from which inferences are made based on this data in combination with data that indicates when the person actually wakes up. Other wireless network devices can use the data to provide other automation objectives, such as adjusting the thermostat 602 so as to pre-heat or cool the environment to a desired setting and turning-on or turning-off the lights 608.

[0047] In implementations, the wireless network devices can also be utilized for sound, vibration, and/or motion sensing such as to detect running water and determine inferences about water usage in a home environment based on algorithms and mapping of the water usage and consumption. This can be used to determine a signature or fingerprint of each water source in the home and is also referred to as “audio fingerprinting water usage.” Similarly, the wireless network devices can be utilized to detect the subtle sound, vibration, and/or motion of unwanted pests, such as mice and other rodents, as well as by termites, cockroaches, and other insects. The system can then notify an occupant of the suspected pests in the environment, such as with warning messages to help facilitate early detection and prevention.

[0048] The environment 600 may include one or more wireless network devices that function as a hub 646. The hub 646 may be a general -purpose home automation hub, or an application-specific hub, such as a security hub, an energy management hub, an HVAC hub, and so forth. The functionality of a hub 646 may also be integrated into any wireless network device, such as a network-connected thermostat device or the border router 106. Hosting functionality on the hub 646 in the structure 612 can improve reliability when the user's internet connection is unreliable, can reduce latency of operations that would normally have to connect to the cloud service 112, and can satisfy system and regulatory constraints around local access between wireless network devices.

[0049] Additionally, the example environment 600 includes a network-connected -speaker 648. The network-connected speaker 648 provides voice assistant services that include providing voice control of network-connected devices. The functions of the hub 646 may be hosted in the network-connected speaker 648. The network-connected speaker 648 can be configured to communicate via the wireless mesh network 202, the Wi-Fi network 204, or both.

[0050] FIG. 7 illustrates an example wireless network device 700 that can be implemented as any of the wireless network devices in a home area network (Thread network, Matter network) in accordance with one or more aspects of an intermediate fabric for network commissioning as described herein. The device 700 can be integrated with electronic circuitry, microprocessors, memory, input output (VO) logic control, communication interfaces and components, as well as other hardware, firmware, and/or software to implement the device in a home area network. Further, the wireless network device 700 can be implemented with various components, such as with any number and combination of different components as further described with reference to the example device shown in FIG. 7.

[0051] In this example, the wireless network device 700 includes a low-power microprocessor 702 and a high-power microprocessor 704 (e.g., microcontrollers or digital signal processors) that process executable instructions. The device also includes an input-output (I/O) logic control 706 (e.g., to include electronic circuitry). The microprocessors can include components of an integrated circuit, programmable logic device, a logic device formed using one or more semiconductors, and other implementations in silicon and/or hardware, such as a processor and memory system implemented as a system-on-chip (SoC). Alternatively or in addition, the device can be implemented with any one or combination of software, hardware, firmware, or fixed logic circuitry that may be implemented with processing and control circuits. The low-power microprocessor 702 and the high-power microprocessor 704 can also support one or more different device functionalities of the device. For example, the high-power microprocessor 704 may execute computationally intensive operations, whereas the low-power microprocessor 702 may manage less-complex processes such as detecting a hazard or temperature from one or more sensors 708. The low-power processor 702 may also wake or initialize the high-power processor 704 for computationally intensive processes.

[0052] The one or more sensors 708 can be implemented to detect various properties such as acceleration, temperature, humidity, water, supplied power, proximity, external motion, device motion, sound signals, ultrasound signals, light signals, fire, smoke, carbon monoxide, global- positioning-satellite (GPS) signals, radio frequency (RF), other electromagnetic signals or fields, or the like. As such, the sensors 708 may include any one or a combination of temperature sensors, humidity sensors, hazard-related sensors, security sensors, other environmental sensors, accelerometers, microphones, optical sensors up to and including cameras (e.g., charged coupled- device or video cameras, active or passive radiation sensors, GPS receivers, and radio frequency identification detectors. In implementations, the wireless network device 700 may include one or more primary sensors, as well as one or more secondary sensors, such as primary sensors that sense data central to the core operation of the device (e.g., sensing a temperature in a thermostat or sensing smoke in a smoke detector), while the secondary sensors may sense other types of data (e.g., motion, light or sound), which can be used for energy-efficiency objectives or automation objectives.

[0053] The wireless network device 700 includes a memory device controller 710 and a memory device 712, such as any type of a nonvolatile memory and/or other suitable electronic data storage device. The wireless network device 700 can also include various firmware and/or software, such as an operating system 714 that is maintained as computer executable instructions by the memory and executed by a microprocessor. The device software may also include a commissioning application 716 that implements aspects of an intermediate fabric for network commissioning. The wireless network device 700 also includes a device interface 718 to interface with another device or peripheral component and includes an integrated data bus 720 that couples the various components of the wireless network device for data communication between the components. The data bus in the wireless network device may also be implemented as any one or a combination of different bus structures and/or bus architectures.

[0054] The device interface 718 may receive input from a user and/or provide information to the user (e.g., as a user interface), and a received input can be used to determine a setting. The device interface 718 may also include mechanical or virtual components that respond to a user input. For example, the user can mechanically move a sliding or rotatable component, or the motion along a touchpad may be detected, and such motions may correspond to a setting adjustment of the device. Physical and virtual movable user-interface components can allow the user to set a setting along a portion of an apparent continuum. The device interface 718 may also receive inputs from any number of peripherals, such as buttons, a keypad, a switch, a microphone, and an imager e.g., a camera device).

[0055] The wireless network device 700 can include network interfaces 722, such as a home area network interface for communication with other wireless network devices in a home area network, and an external network interface for network communication, such as via the Internet. The wireless network device 700 also includes wireless radio systems 724 for wireless communication with other wireless network devices via the home area network interface and for multiple, different wireless communications systems. The wireless radio systems 724 may include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth™, Mobile Broadband, BLE, and/or point-to-point IEEE 802.15.4. Each of the different radio systems can include a radio device, antenna, and chipset that is implemented for a particular wireless communications technology. The wireless network device 700 also includes a power source 726, such as a battery and/or to connect the device to line voltage. An AC power source may also be used to charge the battery of the device.

[0056] FIG. 8 illustrates an example system 800 that includes an example device 802, which can be implemented as any of the wireless network devices that implement aspects of an intermediate fabric for network commissioning as described with reference to the previous FIGs. 1-6. The example device 802 may be any type of computing device, client device, mobile phone, tablet, communication, entertainment, gaming, media playback, and/or other type of device. Further, the example device 802 may be implemented as any other type of wireless network device that is configured for communication on a home area network, such as a thermostat, hazard detector, camera, light unit, commissioning device, router, border router, joiner router, joining device, end device, leader, access point, and/or other wireless network devices.

[0057] The device 802 includes communication devices 804 that enable wired and/or wireless communication of device data 806, such as data that is communicated between the devices in a home area network, data that is being received, data scheduled for broadcast, data packets of the data, data that is synched between the devices, etc. The device data can include any type of communication data, as well as audio, video, and/or image data that is generated by applications executing on the device. The communication devices 804 can also include transceivers for cellular phone communication and/or for network data communication.

[0058] The device 802 also includes input / output (VO) interfaces 808, such as data network interfaces that provide connection and/or communication links between the device, data networks (e.g., a home area network, external network, etc.), and other devices. The I/O interfaces can be used to couple the device to any type of components, peripherals, and/or accessory devices. The I/O interfaces also include data input ports via which any type of data, media content, and/or inputs can be received, such as user inputs to the device, as well as any type of communication data, as well as audio, video, and/or image data received from any content and/or data source.

[0059] The device 802 includes a processing system 810 that may be implemented at least partially in hardware, such as with any type of microprocessors, controllers, and the like that process executable instructions. The processing system can include components of an integrated circuit, programmable logic device, a logic device formed using one or more semiconductors, and other implementations in silicon and/or hardware, such as a processor and memory system implemented as a system-on-chip (SoC). Alternatively or in addition, the device can be implemented with any one or combination of software, hardware, firmware, or fixed logic circuitry that may be implemented with processing and control circuits. The device 802 may further include any type of a system bus or other data and command transfer system that couples the various components within the device. A system bus can include any one or combination of different bus structures and architectures, as well as control and data lines.

[0060] The device 802 also includes computer-readable storage memory 812 (computer- readable storage media 812), such as data storage devices that can be accessed by a computing device, and that provide persistent storage of data and executable instructions (e.g., software applications, modules, programs, functions, and the like). The computer-readable storage memory described herein excludes propagating signals. Examples of computer-readable storage memory include volatile memory and non-volatile memory, fixed and removable media devices, and any suitable memory device or electronic data storage that maintains data for computing device access. The computer-readable storage memory can include various implementations of random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, and other types of storage memory in various memory device configurations.

[0061] The computer-readable storage memory 812 provides storage of the device data 806 and various device applications 814, such as an operating system that is maintained as a software application with the computer-readable storage memory and executed by the processing system 810. The device applications may also include a device manager, such as any form of a control application, software application, signal processing and control module, code that is native to a particular device, a hardware abstraction layer for a particular device, and so on. In this example, the device applications also include a commissioning application 816 that implements aspects of an intermediate fabric for network commissioning, such as when the example device 802 is implemented as any of the wireless network devices described herein.

[0062] The device 802 also includes an audio and/or video system 818 that generates audio data for an audio device 820 and/or generates display data for a display device 822. The audio device and/or the display device include any devices that process, display, and/or otherwise render audio, video, display, and/or image data, such as the image content of a digital photo. In implementations, the audio device and/or the display device are integrated components of the example device 802. Alternatively, the audio device and/or the display device are external, peripheral components to the example device. In aspects, at least part of the techniques described for common interface for an intermediate fabric for network commissioning may be implemented in a distributed system, such as over a “cloud” 824 in a platform 826. The cloud 824 includes and/or is representative of the platform 826 for services 828 and/or resources 830.

[0063] The platform 826 abstracts underlying functionality of hardware, such as server devices (e.g., included in the services 828) and/or software resources (e.g., included as the resources 830), and connects the example device 802 with other devices, servers, etc. The resources 830 may also include applications and/or data that can be utilized while computer processing is executed on servers that are remote from the example device 802. Additionally, the services 828 and/or the resources 830 may facilitate subscriber network services, such as over the Internet, a cellular network, or Wi-Fi network. The platform 826 may also serve to abstract and scale resources to service a demand for the resources 830 that are implemented via the platform, such as in an interconnected device aspect with functionality distributed throughout the system 800. For example, the functionality may be implemented in part at the example device 802 as well as via the platform 826 that abstracts the functionality of the cloud 824.

[0064] In the following some examples are described:

Example 1 : A method of sharing one or more Matter devices from a first fabric to a second fabric, the method comprising: creating, by a first Matter administrator of the first fabric, an intermediate fabric; adding the one or more Matter devices to the intermediate fabric; adding a second Matter administrator to the intermediate fabric; and granting, by the first Matter administrator to the second Matter administrator, administrative rights to the intermediate fabric, the granting being effective to enable the second Matter administrator to add the one or more Matter devices to the second fabric.

Example 2: The method of example 1, wherein the adding the one or more Matter devices to the intermediate fabric comprises: including the one or more Matter devices in a security domain of the intermediate fabric.

Example 3 : The method of example 1 or example 2, wherein the adding a second Matter administrator to the intermediate fabric comprises: sending a message, from the first Matter administrator and via a secure channel to the second Matter administrator.

Example 4: The method of example 3, wherein an electronic device includes the first Matter administrator and the second Matter administrator, and the sending of the message comprises: sending the message, using on-device Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) within the electronic device.

Example 5: The method of example 3, wherein the sending of the message comprises: sending the message using a Matter interaction.

Example 6: The method of example 3, wherein the sending of the message comprises: sending the message using a cloud-service interaction.

Example 7: The method of any one of the preceding examples, wherein the sharing the one or more Matter devices to the second fabric enables an ecosystem controller of the second fabric to control the one or more Matter devices.

Example 8: A method of sharing one or more Matter devices from a first fabric to a second fabric, the method comprising: receiving, by a second Matter administrator and from a first Matter administrator, a grant of administrative rights to an intermediate fabric, the intermediate fabric including one or more Matter devices that are included in a first Matter fabric; joining, by the second Matter administrator, the one or more Matter devices to the second fabric; and removing the first Matter administrator from the intermediate fabric.

Example 9: The method of example 8, further comprising: removing the one or more Matter devices from the intermediate fabric.

Example 10: The method of example 8 or example 9, wherein the joining the one or more Matter devices to the second fabric comprises: including the one or more Matter devices in a security domain of the second fabric. Example 11 : The method of any one of examples 8 to 10, wherein the receiving the grant of administrative rights to the intermediate fabric comprises: receiving a message, from the first Matter administrator and via a secure channel from the second Matter administrator.

Example 12: The method of example 11, wherein an electronic device includes the first Matter administrator and the second Matter administrator, and the receiving of the message comprises: receiving the message, using on-device Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) within the electronic device.

Example 13: The method of example 11, wherein the receiving of the message comprises: receiving the message using a Matter interaction.

Example 14: The method of example 11, wherein the receiving of the message comprises: receiving the message using a cloud-service interaction.

Example 15: An apparatus comprising: a processor; and instructions executable by the processor to perform a method as recited in any one of examples 1 to 14.

[0065] Although aspects of an intermediate fabric for network commissioning have been described in language specific to features and/or methods, the subject of the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or methods described. Rather, the specific features and methods are disclosed as example implementations of an intermediate fabric for network commissioning, and other equivalent features and methods are intended to be within the scope of the appended claims. Further, various different aspects are described, and it is to be appreciated that each described aspect can be implemented independently or in connection with one or more other described aspects.

Claims

1. A method of sharing one or more Matter devices from a first fabric to a second fabric, the method comprising: creating, by a first Matter administrator of the first fabric, an intermediate fabric; adding the one or more Matter devices to the intermediate fabric; adding a second Matter administrator to the intermediate fabric; and granting, by the first Matter administrator to the second Matter administrator, administrative rights to the intermediate fabric, the granting being effective to enable the second Matter administrator to add the one or more Matter devices to the second fabric.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the adding the one or more Matter devices to the intermediate fabric comprises: including the one or more Matter devices in a security domain of the intermediate fabric.

3. The method of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the adding a second Matter administrator to the intermediate fabric comprises: sending a message, from the first Matter administrator and via a secure channel to the second Matter administrator.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein an electronic device includes the first Matter administrator and the second Matter administrator, and the sending of the message comprises: sending the message, using on-device Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) within the electronic device.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the sending of the message comprises: sending the message using a Matter interaction.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the sending of the message comprises: sending the message using a cloud-service interaction.

7. The method of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the sharing the one or more Matter devices to the second fabric enables an ecosystem controller of the second fabric to control the one or more Matter devices.

8. A method of sharing one or more Matter devices from a first fabric to a second fabric, the method comprising: receiving, by a second Matter administrator and from a first Matter administrator, a grant of administrative rights to an intermediate fabric, the intermediate fabric including one or more Matter devices that are included in a first Matter fabric; joining, by the second Matter administrator, the one or more Matter devices to the second fabric; and removing the first Matter administrator from the intermediate fabric.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising: removing the one or more Matter devices from the intermediate fabric.

10. The method of claim 8 or claim 9, wherein the joining the one or more Matter devices to the second fabric comprises: including the one or more Matter devices in a security domain of the second fabric.

11. The method of any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the receiving the grant of administrative rights to the intermediate fabric comprises: receiving a message, from the first Matter administrator and via a secure channel from the second Matter administrator.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein an electronic device includes the first Matter administrator and the second Matter administrator, and the receiving of the message comprises: receiving the message, using on-device Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) within the electronic device.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the receiving of the message comprises: receiving the message using a Matter interaction.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the receiving of the message comprises: receiving the message using a cloud-service interaction.

15. An apparatus comprising: a processor; and instructions executable by the processor to perform a method as recited in any one of claims 1 to 14.