TECHNICAL FIELD

This specification relates generally to a smart module device designed to connect to and monitor various devices in a particular ecosystem.

BACKGROUND

Embedded systems can include microcontrollers and microprocessors for receiving and processing data from various devices. An embedded system is typically dedicated to specific designs, ranging from portable devices such as digital watches, MP3 players, to large complex systems, such as hybrid vehicles, medical imaging, and computer equipment racks.

SUMMARY

The subject matter of the present disclosure is related to a smart connection module for connecting and monitoring devices found in any location. This module is a device agnostic platform that allows developers to build, innovate, and integrate devices to access an ecosystem provided by the module in a streamlined fashioned. The devices can include sensors, such as smoke alarms, motion detectors, weather detectors, and carbon monoxide detectors, home devices, such as garage controllers, door locks, window locks, and light bulbs, and other various devices found in a property. In particular, the ecosystem provides functionality relating to monitoring, delegating infrastructure, providing security, and providing access to each of its smart connection modules. By integrating devices on the module, developers can quickly push their devices and test their corresponding functionality in a quick time to market fashion. Additionally, a user's device will have gained the benefit of the ecosystem that provides various functionality. In order for customers to integrate their devices to the smart connection module, each device is implemented on a host board found in the smart connection module. The host board includes a customizable set of product specific components related to the developer's device, such as modules, functions, software, firmware, communication protocols, and registry data, to allow seamless integration with the smart connection module. The smart connection module connects the product specific host board to the ecosystem through the connection of a core board. The core board is a standardized device that can be connected to any product specific host board and have communications from the product specific host board streamlined and standardized to be understood by the ecosystem.

In one general aspect, a monitoring system that is configured to monitor a property, the monitoring system including: a sensor that is configured to generate sensor data that reflects an attribute of the property and that includes: a host board that is configured to generate the sensor data; and a core board that is connected to the host board, that is configured to identify a type of the host board, and that is configured to communicate with a monitor control unit; and the monitor control unit that is configured to: receive, from the core board of the sensor, a request for firmware associated with the type of the host board; in response to receiving the request for firmware associated with the type of the host board, access the firmware associated with the type of the host board; and transmit, to the core board of the sensor, the firmware associated with the type of the host board, wherein the core board of the sensor is configured to: receive the firmware associated with the type of the host board; store the firmware associated with the type of the host board; receive, from the host board, the sensor data; and transmit, to the monitor control unit, the sensor data.

Implementations may include one or more of the following features. For example, in some implementations, the core board is configured to: connect to the host board through an adaptable connector that comprises one or more pin connectors; retrieve the firmware associated with the type of the host board from a memory of the core board; and configure a function of the one or more pin connectors based on the firmware associated with the type of the host board.

In some implementations, the system includes the one or more pin connectors comprises multi-function pins and single function pins, and a function of each of the multi-function pins is configured to change based on the type of the host board.

In some implementations, a pin connector layout of the adaptable connector includes 22 multi-function purpose pins, 23 power and ground pins, and 21 single function pins.

In some implementations, the core board is configured to: maintain the one or more pin connectors in RESET mode until configuring the function of the one or more pin connectors based on the firmware associated with the type of the host board.

In some implementations, the core board is configured to identify a type of the host board by: transmitting a request to a memory of the host board; and receiving data identifying the type of the host board from the memory of the host board.

In some implementations, the data identifying the type of the host board includes unique serial information of the host board, data indicating a product type of the host board, and a pin configuration for the one or more pin connectors based on the product type of the host board.

In some implementations, the monitor control unit is configured to receive the request for firmware associated with the type of the host board by: receiving unique serial information associated with a product type of the host board and data instructing the monitor control unit to transmit a request to a security server for the requested firmware.

In some implementations, the monitor control unit is configured to: in response to accessing the firmware associated with the type of the host board, transmit a notification to a client device indicating that firmware has been requested for the core board; transmit the firmware to the core board; receive a notification from the core board indicating that the core board is configured to communicate with the host board; and in response to receiving the notification from the core board indicating that the core board is configured to communicate with the host board, transmit an additional notification to the client device indicating that the core board is functioning properly with the host board.

In some implementations, the core board includes one or more add-on boards that provide additional functionality to the core board and the host board.

In some implementations, the core board is configured to: connect to an additional host board that is different from the host board; identify a type of the additional host board; determine additional firmware corresponding to the additional host board is not locally found on the core board; transmit a request to the monitor control unit for the additional firmware; receive the additional firmware from the monitor control unit; and configure a function of one or more pin connectors based on the additional firmware associated with a type of the additional host board.

In some implementations, the type of the additional host board is a thermostat specific host board and the type of the host board is a smoke sensor specific host board.

Other embodiments of this and other aspects of the disclosure include corresponding systems, apparatus, and computer programs, configured to perform the actions of the methods, encoded on computer storage devices. A system of one or more computers can be so configured by virtue of software, firmware, hardware, or a combination of them installed on the system that in operation cause the system to perform the actions. One or more computer programs can be so configured by virtue having instructions that, when executed by data processing apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform the actions.

The details of one or more embodiments of the subject matter of this specification are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter will become apparent from the description, the drawings, and the claims.

