# US 12,120,766 B2 · Operation apparatus and method for maintaining network connectivity of a network device based on self-related connection information obtained from monitoring maintenance messages > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,120,766 B2 - Document ID: US12120766B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/768,394 - Filed: 2020-10-16 - Published: 2023-08-10 - Granted: 2024-10-15 - Earliest claimed: 2019-10-17 - Assignees: Signify Holding B.V. - Applicants: Signify Holding B.V. - Inventors: Ahamed Rafik Ajmeer; Sathya Phaneendra Reddy Gadi; Manoj Ayyankotil Kulangara - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12120766B2 ## CPC - H04W 76/19: Connection re-establishment - H04W 24/04: Arrangements for maintaining operational condition - H04W 40/246: {Connectivity information discovery} - H04W 40/34: Modification of an existing route - H04W 84/18: Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) ## Abstract It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus that allows for improving the self-healing capability of a network, wherein the apparatus is adapted to be part of a network (100), like a ZigBee network. The operation apparatus (110) is adapted to operate a network device (101) and comprises a network information providing unit (111), wherein the network information refers to information with respect to maintenance messages (105, 106, 107) sent and/or received by a network device (101) and/or a neighboring network device (103, 104) to maintain the network, a determination unit (112) for determining self-related connection information from the network information, wherein the self-related connection information refers to information on the connection of the network device itself with the network, and a control unit (113) for controlling the network device based on the self-related connection information. ## Claims ### Claim 1 Operation apparatus for operating a network device adapted to being part of a network comprising a plurality of network devices, wherein the operation apparatus comprises: a network information provider for providing network information, wherein the network information refers to information with respect to maintenance messages sent and/or received by the network device and/or a neighboring network device of the network device to maintain the network, wherein the neighboring network device is part of the same network as the network device, a determinator for determining self-related connection information from the network information, wherein the self-related connection information refers to information on the connection of the network device itself with the network, a controller for controlling the network device based on the self-related connection information, wherein the network information comprises neighborhood information indicative of a network neighborhood of a neighboring network device being part of the network neighborhood of the network device, and wherein the determinator is adapted to determine self-related connection information from the neighborhood information, wherein the determinator is adapted to determine from the neighborhood information an indication whether the network device is known by the neighboring network device to belong to the neighborhood of the neighboring network device as self-related connection information, wherein the controller is adapted to control the network device to take measures for reconnecting to the network if the self-related connection information indicates that the connection of the network device to the network is failing, and wherein the self-related connection information determined from the network information comprises information indicative of a timing of maintenance messages sent by the network device itself. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The operation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the neighborhood information comprises connection quality data being indicative of a quality of a network connection between two network devices, wherein the determinator is adapted to determine self-related connection information from the connection quality data. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The operation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the determinator is adapted to determine self-related connection information from the neighborhood information of a randomly chosen neighboring network device. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The operation apparatus to claim 1, wherein the neighborhood information comprises a neighborhood table that contains identifiers of all network devices considered to be part of the neighborhood of the network device sending the neighborhood table. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The operation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is adapted to control the network device to provide an information to a user and/or other network devices that a connection to the network is failing if the self-related connection information indicates that the connection of the network device is failing. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The operation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the network is a ZigBee network and the network device is adapted to be part of the ZigBee network. ### Claim 7 A network device adapted to being part of a network of a plurality of network devices, and comprising the operation apparatus for operating the network device, wherein the operation apparatus comprises: a network information provider for providing network information, wherein the network information refers to information with respect to maintenance messages sent and/or received by the network device and/or a neighboring network device of the network device to maintain the network, wherein the neighboring network device is part of the same network as the network device, a determinator for determining self-related connection information from the network information, wherein the self-related connection information refers to information on the connection of the network device itself with the network, a controller for controlling the network device based on the self-related connection information, wherein the network information comprises neighborhood information indicative of a network neighborhood of a neighboring network device being part of the network neighborhood of the network device, and wherein the determinator is adapted to determine self-related connection information from the neighborhood information, wherein the determinator is adapted to determine from the neighborhood information an indication whether the network device is known by the neighboring network device to belong to the neighborhood of the neighboring network device as self-related connection information, wherein the controller is adapted to control the network device to take measures for reconnecting to the network if the self-related connection information indicates that the connection of the network device to the network is failing, and wherein the self-related connection information determined from the network information comprises information indicative of a timing of maintenance messages sent by the network device itself. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) the network device of claim 7 comprising at least one network device, where in the at least one network device adapted to being part of the network of the plurality of network devices. ### Claim 9 Operation method for operating a network device adapted to being part of a network comprising a plurality of network devices, wherein the operation method comprises: providing network information, wherein the network information comprises information with respect to maintenance messages sent by the network device and/or a neighboring network device of the network device to maintain the network, wherein the neighboring network device is part of the same network as the network device, determining self-related connection information from the network information, wherein the self-related connection information refers to information on the connection of the network device itself with the network, controlling the network device based on the self-related connection information, wherein the network information comprises neighborhood information indicative of a network neighborhood of a neighboring network device being part of the network neighborhood of the network device, and wherein the determining comprises determining self-related connection information from the neighborhood information, wherein the determining comprises determining from the neighborhood information an indication whether the network device is known by the neighboring network device to belong to the neighborhood of the neighboring network device as self-related connection information, and wherein the controlling the network device comprises controlling the network device to take measures for reconnecting to the network if the self-related connection information indicates that the connection of the network device to the network is failing, and wherein the self-related connection information determined from the network information comprises information indicative of a timing of maintenance messages sent by the network device itself. ### Claim 10 A non-transitory computer readable medium for operating a network device, wherein the non-transitory computer readable medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed by an operation apparatus to perform providing network information, wherein the network information comprises information with respect to maintenance messages sent by the network device and/or a neighboring network device of the network device to maintain the network, wherein the neighboring network device is part of the same network as the network device, determining self-related connection information from the network information, wherein the self-related connection information refers to information on the connection of the network device itself with the network, controlling the network device based on the self-related connection information, wherein the network information comprises neighborhood information indicative of a network neighborhood of a neighboring network device being part of the network neighborhood of the network device, and wherein the determining comprises determining self-related connection information from the neighborhood information, wherein the determining comprises determining from the neighborhood information an indication whether the network device is known by the neighboring network device to belong to the neighborhood of the neighboring network device as self-related connection information, and wherein the controlling the network device comprises controlling the network device to take measures for reconnecting to the network if the self-related connection information indicates that the connection of the network device to the network is failing, and wherein the self-related connection information determined from the network information comprises information indicative of a timing of maintenance messages sent by the network device itself. ### Claim 11 Operation apparatus for operating a network device adapted to being part of a network comprising a plurality of network devices, wherein the operation apparatus comprises: a network information provider for providing network information, wherein the network information refers to information with respect to maintenance messages sent and/or received by the network device and/or a neighboring network device of the network device to maintain the network, wherein the neighboring network device is part of the same network as the network device, a determinator for determining self-related connection information from the network information, wherein the self-related connection information refers to information on the connection of the network device itself with the network, a controller for controlling the network device based on the self-related connection information, wherein the network information comprises neighborhood information indicative of a network neighborhood of a neighboring network device being part of the network neighborhood of the network device, and wherein the determinator is adapted to determine self-related connection information from the neighborhood information, wherein the determinator is adapted to determine from the neighborhood information an indication whether the network device is known by the neighboring network device to belong to the neighborhood of the neighboring network device as self-related connection information, wherein the controller is adapted to control the network device to take measures for reconnecting to the network if the self-related connection information indicates that the connection of the network device to the network is failing, and wherein the self-related connection information determined from the network information comprises a time span since the last maintenance message has been sent by the network device itself, wherein the control unit controller is adapted to compare the determined time span with a predetermined threshold and to control the network device based on the result of the comparison. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The operation apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the neighborhood information comprises connection quality data being indicative of a quality of a network connection between two network devices, wherein the determinator is adapted to determine self-related connection information from the connection quality data. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The operation apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the determinator is adapted to determine self-related connection information from the neighborhood information of a randomly chosen neighboring network device. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The operation apparatus to claim 11, wherein the neighborhood information comprises a neighborhood table that contains identifiers of all network devices considered to be part of the neighborhood of the network device sending the neighborhood table. ### Claim 15 (depends on 11) The operation apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the controller is adapted to control the network device to provide an information to a user and/or other network devices that a connection to the network is failing if the self-related connection information indicates that the connection of the network device is failing. ### Claim 16 (depends on 11) The operation apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the network is a ZigBee network and the network device is adapted to be part of the ZigBee network. ### Claim 17 (depends on 11) A network device adapted to being part of a network of a plurality of network devices, and comprising the operation apparatus according to claim 11 for operating the network device, wherein the operation apparatus comprises: a network information provider for providing network information, wherein the network information refers to information with respect to maintenance messages sent and/or received by the network device and/or a neighboring network device of the network device to maintain the network, wherein the neighboring network device is part of the same network as the network device, a determinator for determining self-related connection information from the network information, wherein the self-related connection information refers to information on the connection of the network device itself with the network, a controller for controlling the network device based on the self-related connection information, wherein the network information comprises neighborhood information indicative of a network neighborhood of a neighboring network device being part of the network neighborhood of the network device, and wherein the determinator is adapted to determine self-related connection information from the neighborhood information, wherein the determinator is adapted to determine from the neighborhood information an indication whether the network device is known by the neighboring network device to belong to the neighborhood of the neighboring network device as self-related connection information, wherein the controller is adapted to control the network device to take measures for reconnecting to the network if the self-related connection information indicates that the connection of the network device to the network is failing, and wherein the self-related connection information determined from the network information comprises a time span since the last maintenance message has been sent by the network device itself, wherein the control unit controller is adapted to compare the determined time span with a predetermined threshold and to control the network device based on the result of the comparison. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) the network device of claim 17 comprising at least one network device, wherein the at least one network device adapted to being part of the network of the plurality of network devices.