Bluetooth low energy automation mesh network

• US 10,111,071 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2015
• Issued: 10/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Polo, Angel, Xie, Guoxin, Hsu, David, Muneer, Khan M., Tian, Xin, Yu, Wenbin, Zhodzishsky, Victor G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Skripnikov, Alex
• Assistant Examiner(s): Schnell, Richard L
• Application Number:
  US14/857,781
• Publication Number:
  US 20160088424A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,132 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A system for facilitating communications in a mesh network is provided. One or more devices of the mesh network may participate as routing nodes to provide range extension for any other devices in the mesh network that would otherwise be out of range from one another. In one or more implementations, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) may be used as the physical transport of the mesh network.

Claims

1. A first device of a mesh network, the first device comprising:

at least one processor circuit configured to;

receive a mesh packet comprising a first identifier associated with a second device of the mesh network, the mesh packet being received from a third device that is separate from the second device, and the first device having been selected by the second device to operate as a proxy device for the second device;

responsive to receipt of the mesh packet from the third device, add the first identifier associated with the second device to a white list;

receive a first query packet from the second device after receiving the mesh packet, wherein the first query packet comprises the first identifier associated with the second device and a second identifier associated with the first device, and the first query packet is received independent of receiving the mesh packet;

provide the mesh packet for transmission to the second device when the first query packet is received when the first identifier of the second device is included on the white list, and otherwise ignore the first query packet when the first identifier of the second device is not included on the white list; and

remove the first identifier of the second device from the white list of the first device when the first device receives an acknowledgement of receipt of the mesh packet from the second device, and no additional mesh packets are awaiting transmission from the first device to the second device.

2. The first device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor circuit is further configured to:

determine whether the first device received a plurality of mesh packets to transmit to the second device, wherein the plurality of mesh packets comprises the mesh packet; and

set a flag in the mesh packet to a first predetermined value when the first device received the plurality of mesh packets to transmit to the second device, otherwise set the flag in the mesh packet to a second predetermined value when the first device only received the mesh packet to transmit to the second device.

3. The first device of claim 2, wherein the at least one processor circuit is further configured to:

receive a second query packet from the second device when the flag in the mesh packet is set to the first predetermined value, wherein the second query packet comprises the acknowledgement of the mesh packet; and

provide another mesh packet of the plurality of mesh packets for transmission to the second device when the second query packet is received.

4. The first device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor circuit is further configured to store the mesh packet in a buffer until the acknowledgement of receipt of the mesh packet has been received from the second device.

5. The first device of claim 1, wherein the mesh packet comprises a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) link layer packet.

6. The first device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor circuit is further configured to:

receive a second query packet from the second device, wherein the second query packet comprises a third identifier different from the first identifier and the second identifier;

transmit a first response packet to the second device, wherein the first response packet comprises a power value associated with the second query packet; and

receive a third query packet from the second device, wherein the third query packet comprises the second identifier.

7. The first device of claim 6, wherein the second query packet is received prior to the first query packet.

8. The first device of claim 6, wherein the second query packet comprises a flag set to a value indicative of the second device being associated with lower receiver duty cycle than the first device.

9. The first device of claim 1, wherein the mesh packet is associated with a security mechanism.

10. A method comprising:

receiving, by a first device of a mesh network, a mesh packet comprising a first identifier associated with a second device of the mesh network, the mesh packet being received from a third device that is separate from the second device, and the first device having been selected by the second device to operate as a proxy device for the second device;

responsive to receiving the mesh packet from the third device, adding the first identifier associated with the second device to a white list;

receiving a first query packet from the second device after receiving the mesh packet, wherein the first query packet comprises the first identifier associated with the second device and a second identifier associated with the first device, and the first query packet is received independent of receiving the mesh packet;

providing the mesh packet for transmission to the second device when the first query packet is received when the first identifier of the second device is included on the white list, and otherwise ignoring the first query packet when the first identifier of the second device is not included on the white list; and

when no additional mesh packets are awaiting transmission to the second device, removing the first identifier of the second device from the white list responsive to receipt of an acknowledgment packet from the second device with respect to the mesh packet.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining whether the first device received a plurality of mesh packets to transmit to the second device, wherein the plurality of mesh packets comprises the mesh packet; and

setting a flag in the mesh packet to a first predetermined value when the first device received the plurality of mesh packets to transmit to the second device, otherwise setting the flag in the mesh packet to a second predetermined value when the first device only received the mesh packet to transmit to the second device.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a second query packet from the second device when the flag in the mesh packet is set to the first predetermined value, wherein the second query packet comprises the acknowledgement packet for the mesh packet; and

providing another mesh packet of the plurality of mesh packets for transmission to the second device when the second query packet is received.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

storing the mesh packet in a buffer until the acknowledgement packet for the mesh packet has been received from the second device.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the mesh packet comprises a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) link layer packet.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a second query packet from the second device, wherein the second query packet comprises a third identifier different from the first identifier and the second identifier;

transmitting a first response packet to the second device, wherein the first response packet comprises a power value associated with the second query packet; and

receiving a third query packet from the second device, wherein the third query packet comprises the second identifier.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the second query packet is received prior to the first query packet.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the second query packet comprises a flag set to a value indicative of the second device being associated with lower receiver duty cycle than the first device.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the mesh packet is associated with a security mechanism.

19. A computer program product comprising instructions stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the instructions comprising:

instructions to receive, by a first device of a mesh network, a mesh packet comprising a first identifier associated with a second device of the mesh network, the mesh packet being received from a third device that is separate from the first and second devices;

instructions to add, by the first device of the mesh network, an address of the second device to a white list of the first device when the first device is identified as a proxy device for the second device and the mesh packet is received;

instructions to receive, by the first device, a first query packet from the second device subsequent to receipt of the mesh packet;

instructions to automatically trigger transmission of the mesh packet to the second device in response to receipt of the first query packet based at least in part on the address of the second device having been added to the white list of the first device; and

instructions to remove the address of the second device from the white list of the first device when the first device receives an acknowledgement of receipt of the mesh packet from the second device, and no additional mesh packets comprising the first identifier associated with the second device are awaiting transmission from the first device to the second device.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the instructions to automatically trigger transmission of the mesh packet to the second device further comprise:

instructions to automatically establish a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) connection with the second device when the first query packet is received and based at least in part on the address of the second device having been added to the white list of the first device, wherein the mesh packet is provided for transmission to the second device over the BLE connection.

21. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the instructions further comprise:

instructions to receive, by the first device, a second query packet from the second device, wherein the second query packet comprises the acknowledgement of receipt of the mesh packet;

instructions to determine, by the first device, that another mesh packet comprising the first identifier associated with the second device has been received; and

instructions to provide the another mesh packet for transmission to the second device when the another mesh packet has been received.

22. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions to store the mesh packet in a buffer associated with the first device when the acknowledgement receipt of the mesh packet has not been received from the second device.

23. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the instructions further comprise:

instructions to receive, by the first device, a proxy query packet from the second device, wherein the proxy query packet comprises a second identifier different from the first identifier;

instructions to transmit, by the first device, a proxy response packet to the second device, wherein the proxy response packet comprises a power value associated with the proxy query packet; and

instructions to receive, by the first device, a second query packet from the second device, wherein the second query packet comprises the first identifier indicating that the first device has been selected as a proxy device for the second device.

24. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the mesh packet is associated with a security mechanism.