Validating Hue Bridge firmware with Device Virtualization and Kubernetes

Master thesis (2023)

Authors

S. FANG Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science

Contributors

Marco Zuniga Networked Systems - EEMCS (mentor)
Dmitry Korolev Signify Research (mentor)
G. Lan Embedded Systems - EEMCS (graduation committee member)
Faculty
Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science
Copyright: © 2023 Siyuan FANG
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Published Date

28-06-2023

Language

English

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Faculty

Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science

Abstract

In recent years, with the rapid expansion of IoT (Internet of Things) devices, more and more research and commercial projects have focused on various application areas of IoT. Signify, as a leading player in the smart home industry, has been deeply involved in this field for many years, particularly focusing on smart lighting for smart homes and providing consumers with a whole-house smart lighting solution (Hue System). The Hue System consists of several IoT devices, such as the Hue Bridge, Hue Bulbs, and Hue Accessories. This research paper specifically targets the IoT field and aims to reduce the firmware update cycle of the Hue Bridge.

The Hue Bridge, which serves as a central device in the Philips Hue internet-connected lighting system, connects users with other Hue devices. However, the Hue Bridge faces the challenge of inefficient firmware updates, which require validation engineers to wait for 6-8 weeks to ensure firmware reliability. To address this issue, this paper proposes a virtual system solution that improves the virtualization procedure of the Hue Bridge devices and utilizes Kubernetes for large-scale deployment to accelerate the generation of diagnostic data. Furthermore, a Use Case Model is established based on users' daily data, and a model based on Frequent Pattern Mining is applied to simulate users' daily behaviors in the Kubernetes Deployment.

To validate our virtual system, we designed validation experiments from multiple perspectives, including validation of the use case model and automated feedback. Our validation results demonstrate that this system enables more efficient and convenient acquisition of automated feedback (issues/bugs), while significantly enhancing the generation of diagnostic data in the firmware update cycle. Moreover, it offers advantages such as high availability, convenience, and cost-effectiveness in deployment. This research provides valuable references and insights for firmware update-related studies in the IoT domain