# US 11,121,925 B2 · IoT network management method for managing LoRaWAN-based large-scale facilities, and IoT network server and terminal applying the same

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- Number: US 11,121,925 B2
- Document ID: US11121925B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/465,801
- Filed: 2017-12-14
- Published: 2021-04-01
- Granted: 2021-09-14
- Earliest claimed: 2017-12-13
- Assignees: Korea Electronics Technology Institute
- Applicants: Korea Electronics Technology Institute
- Inventors: Seung Woo Lee; Young Min Kwon
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11121925B2

## CPC

- H04W 4/38: for collecting sensor information
- H04L 12/66: Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
- H04L 41/0806: for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
- H04L 67/51: Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
- H04W 4/80: Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
- H04W 88/16: Gateway arrangements
- H04W 4/70: Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
- H04W 48/02: Access restriction performed under specific conditions
- H04W 48/14: using user query {or user detection}
- H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72)
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)

## Abstract

An IoT network management method and an IoT network server and a terminal applying the same are provided. According to the IoT network management method, when a network joining request is received from the terminal, the IoT network server determines whether to allow the corresponding terminal to join, and, when an environment configuration request is received from the terminal, the IoT network server transmits environment configuration information which is information regarding a communication environment of the corresponding terminal. Accordingly, the terminal and the IoT network server can efficiently manage a network while following the LoRaWAN standards, and also, can change a network path to an effective network path when the surrounding network environment changes or a gateway breaks down, and can achieve stable data transmission by minimizing a data collision between large-scale facilities within a predetermined distance.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An Internet of Things (IoT) network management method of an IoT network server, the method comprising:
when a network joining request is received from a terminal, determining whether to allow the corresponding terminal to join;
when an environment configuration request is received from the terminal, transmitting environment configuration information which is information regarding a communication environment of the corresponding terminal, wherein the environment configuration information comprises gateway information, communication period information, communication order information, and offset information corresponding to the corresponding terminal;
communicating with the corresponding terminal over a communication period from a defined time according to the communication order information, the communication period information, and the offset information, wherein the offset information comprises a different value which is designated for each gateway;
determining whether data reception succeeds by using signal reception success rate information regarding communication with the corresponding terminal; and
when the data reception fails a specific number of times or more, changing the gateway relaying communicating with the corresponding terminal.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the changing comprises changing to a gateway that has a largest average signal strength among gateways.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the changing comprises, when it is impossible to change the gateway, changing the communication order of the corresponding terminal to have a first priority in the corresponding gateway.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the IoT network is a LoRa network.

### Claim 5

An Internet of Things (IoT) network server comprising:
a communication unit configured to receive at least one of a network joining request and an environment configuration request from a terminal via a gateway; and
a control unit configured to,
when the network joining request is received from the terminal, determine whether to allow the corresponding terminal to join,
when the environment configuration request is received from the terminal, to transmit environment configuration information which is information regarding a communication environment of the corresponding terminal to the corresponding terminal wherein the environment configuration information comprises gateway information, communication period information, communication order information, and offset information corresponding to the corresponding terminal,
communicate with the corresponding terminal over a communication period from a defined time according to the communication order information, the communication period information, and the offset information, wherein the offset information comprises a different value which is designated for each gateway,
determining whether data reception succeeds by using signal reception success rate information regarding communication with the corresponding terminalc and
when the data reception fails a specific number of times or more, change the gateway relaying communicating with the corresponding terminal.

### Claim 6

An Internet of Things (IoT) network management method of a terminal which communicates with an IoT network server via a gateway, the method comprising:
transmitting a network joining request to the IoT network server, and receiving information regarding whether the terminal is allowed to join from the IoT network server;
transmitting an environment configuration request to the IoT network server, and receiving environment configuration information which is information regarding a communication environment of the terminal from the IoT network server, wherein the environment configuration information comprises gateway information, communication period information, communication order information, and offset information corresponding to the corresponding terminal; and
communicating with the IoT network server over a communication period from a defined time according to the communication order information, the communication period information, and the offset information, wherein the offset information comprises a different value which is designated for each gateway,
wherein the IoT network server determines whether data reception succeeds by using signal reception success rate information regarding communication with the terminal, and changes the gateway relaying communicating with the terminal when the data reception fails a specific number of times or more.

### Claim 7

An Internet of Things (IoT) network terminal which communicates with an IoT network server via a gateway, the IoT network terminal comprising:
a control unit configured to control to transmit at least one of a network joining request and an environment configuration request to the IoT network server; and
a communication unit configured to
receive information regarding whether the IoT network terminal is allowed to join from the IoT network server,
receive environment configuration information which is information regarding a communication environment of the corresponding terminal from the IoT network server, wherein the environment configuration information comprises gateway information, communication period information, communication order information, and offset information corresponding to the corresponding terminal, and
communicate with the IoT network server over a communication period from a defined time according to the communication order information, the communication period information, and the offset information, wherein the offset information comprises a different value which is designated for each gateway,
wherein the IoT network server determines whether data reception succeeds by using signal reception success rate information regarding communication with the terminal, and changes the gateway relaying communicating with the terminal when the data reception fails a specific number of times or more.