Mesh network assessment and transmission

• US 10,212,087 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2014
• Issued: 02/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aervivo Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Vivint Incorporated (NRG Energy, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kalkunte, Venkat
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Chirag G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Persaud, Amar
• Application Number:
  US14/489,174
• Publication Number:
  US 20160080966A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,616 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/24 Multipath
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/08 based on transmission power

Abstract

Systems, apparatuses, and methods relating to mesh network communications are described. In one embodiment a method may include receiving at least one information packet at a node, identifying one or more output communication links, assessing at least one characteristic of at least one of the one or more identified output communication links, and transmitting one or more information packets from a node via at least one of one or more identified output communication links based at least in part on at least one characteristic.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication in a mesh network, the method comprising:

receiving, at a first node via an input communication link, a set of data packets to transmit to a second node and a third node in the mesh network;

identifying, in response to the receiving, a plurality of output communication links linked to the first node;

assessing a characteristic of each output communication link of the identified plurality of output communication links;

determining that the characteristic associated with a portion of the identified output communication links between the first node and the second node and between the first node and the third node satisfies a predetermined threshold value;

identifying a transmission path for transmission of the set of data packets based at least in part on the determining, the identified transmission path comprising a first route to the second node and a second route to the third node, wherein the first route includes a first type of connection operating on a first frequency and the second route includes a second type of connection operating on a second frequency;

transmitting the set of data packets over the identified transmission path;

detecting a change in the mesh network;

adjusting the first frequency of the first type of connection based at least in part on the detected change in the mesh network;

determining that the characteristic associated with the first type of connection operating on the adjusted first frequency satisfies the predetermined threshold value; and

simultaneously transmitting a first subset of the set of data packets from the first node to the second node over the first route and a second subset of the set of data packets from the first node to the third node over the second route, wherein the first route includes the first type of connection operating on the adjusted first frequency, wherein the second type of connection is different from the first type of connection and the second frequency is different from the adjusted first frequency.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein assessing the characteristic of the identified output communication links comprises determining a strength of a first connection between the first node and the second node and a strength of a second connection between the first node and the third node.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein assessing the characteristic of the identified output communication links comprises comparing whether the characteristic associated with each of the identified output communication link of the plurality of identified output communication links exceeds at least one characteristic of another identified output communication link.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein assessing the characteristic of the identified output communication links comprises determining at least one of a signal to noise ratio and a strength of each of a plurality of connections between the first node and each of the identified output communication links.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein assessing the characteristic of the identified output communication links comprises comparing a load factor of at least two of the identified output communication links.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein assessing the characteristic of the identified output communication links comprises determining whether the characteristic of each of the identified output communication links exceeds the predetermined threshold value.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein assessing the characteristic of the identified output communication links comprises referencing a set of stored data.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the set of stored data comprises a transmission history related to the plurality of identified output communication links.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first route is between the first node and a third node, and the second route is between the third node and the second node.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first type of connection is associated with one identified output communication link of the plurality of identified communication links and the second type of connection is associated with a second identified output communication link of the identified plurality of output communication links.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein assessing the characteristic of the identified output communication links comprises referencing stored data about the one output communication link and the second identified output communication link of the identified plurality of output communication links.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

transmitting the first subset of the set of data packets or the second subset of the set of data packets, or both, from the first node, is performed automatically based at least in part on assessing the characteristic of at least the one identified output communication link and the second identified output communication link.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting the second subset of the set of data packets to the second node via a third route.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first subset of data packets and the second subset of data packets each include one or more information packets.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the first subset of data packets and the second subset of data packets include corresponding information.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the change in the mesh network is based at least in part on one or more new connection points, one or more load factors, a signal to noise ratio (SNR), a strength of at least one node, an availability of at least one node, an interference of at least one node, or a combination thereof.

17. A system for wireless communication in a mesh network, comprising:

an apparatus linked to one or more input communication links;

the apparatus linked to output communication links;

a processor;

memory in electronic communication with the processor; and

instructions stored in the memory, the instructions being executable by the processor to;

receive a set of data packets to transmit to a first node and a second node in the mesh network via an input communication link;

assess a characteristic of each of the output communication links;

determine that the characteristic associated with a portion of the identified output communication links between the apparatus and the first node and between the apparatus and the second node satisfies a predetermined threshold value;

identify a transmission path for transmission of the set of data packets based at least in part on the determining, the identified transmission path comprising a first route to the first node and a second route to the second node, wherein the first route includes a first type of connection operating on a first frequency and the second route includes a second type of connection operating on a second frequency;

transmit the set of data packets over the identified transmission path;

detect a change in the mesh network;

adjust the first frequency of the first type of connection based at least in part on the detected change in the mesh network;

determine that the characteristic associated with the first type of connection operating on the adjusted first frequency satisfies the predetermined threshold value; and

simultaneously transmit a first subset of the set of data packets from the apparatus to the first node over the first route and a second subset of the set of data packets from the apparatus to the second node over the second route, wherein the first route includes the first type of connection operating on the adjusted first frequency, wherein the second type of connection is different from the first type of connection and the second frequency is different from the adjusted first frequency.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising a data storage device, and assessing the characteristic of the output communication links comprises referencing stored data linked to the data storage device.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer executable instructions that when executed by a processor cause the processor to:

receive, at a first node via an input communication link, a set of data packets to transmit to a second node and a third node in a mesh network;

identify, in response to the receiving, a plurality of output communication links linked to the first node;

assess a characteristic of each output communication link of the identified plurality of output communication links;

determine that the characteristic associated with a portion of the identified output communication links between the first node and the second node and between the first node and the third node satisfies a predetermined threshold value;

identify a transmission path for transmission of the set of data packets based at least in part on the determining, the identified transmission path comprising a first route to the second node and a second route to the third node, wherein the first route includes a first type of connection operating on a first frequency and the second route includes a second type of connection operating on a second frequency;

transmit the set of data packets over the identified transmission path;

detect a change in the mesh network;

adjust the first frequency of the first type of connection based at least in part on the detected change in the mesh network;

determine that the characteristic associated with the first type of connection operating on the adjusted first frequency satisfies the predetermined threshold value; and

simultaneously transmit a first subset of the set of data packets from the apparatus to the first node over the first route and a second subset of the set of data packets from the apparatus to the second node over the second route, wherein the first route includes the first type of connection operating on the adjusted first frequency, wherein the second type of connection is different from the first type of connection and the second frequency is different from the adjusted first frequency.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein assessing the characteristic of each of the output communication links comprises determining whether the characteristic of each of the identified output communication links exceeds the predetermined threshold value.