An interplatform service-oriented middleware for the smart home

In domotic scenarios, where ubiquitous computing pervades housing, the capability toeffectually discover, integrate and coordinate different devices with diverse implementation details, communication protocols, and functionalities is a central aspect. Basing on a layered domotic architecture for smart embedded devices which builds on the paradigm ofService Oriented Computing, in this paper we focus on the pervasive layer and the requirements it has to fulfill, so as to realize a high degree of automation and serve the needsof the higher application levels of the architecture. We show how a discovery framework can take care of new devices independently of their protocols through the use of proxies. Because with the development of home network and service applications, different protocols and transmission modes are proposed. There are more digital devices and home applianceswhich compliance to the protocols. The proposed protocols are different and they are typically unable to interconnect with each other. We design and implement a middleware framework for smart homes to integrate protocols which are popular such as UPnP on OSGi framework and collaborating Zigbee and Bluetooth to converge various service oriented applications. Additionally, with the well-developed Zigbee and Bluetooth technology, majority of devices has been developed to support these technologies, we propose two new base drivers to integrate diverse devices communication protocol on our platform. The availability of standardized service type descriptions can further assist towards automating the tasks of integration and coordination through intelligent algorithms. From the technical point of view, the implementation builds on the OSGi/UPnP standards. An experimental setup for testing the discovery plugins for Bluetooth and ZigBee devices, along with an evaluation of the performance of the Bluetooth proxy verify that the proposed solution is a viable and effective one.