Bluetooth low energy automation mesh network

• US 10,440,546 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2018
• Issued: 10/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Polo, Angel, Xie, Guoxin, Hsu, David, Muneer, Khan M., Tian, Xin, Yu, Wenbin, Zhodzishsky, Victor G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ajit
• Assistant Examiner(s): Schnell, Richard
• Application Number:
  US16/107,874
• Publication Number:
  US 20180359624A1
• Time in Patent Office: 413 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 device, comprising:

a memory; and

at least one processor configured to;

transmit a plurality of proxy query packets;

receive, in response to the plurality of proxy query packets, at least one or more respective proxy response packets from each of a plurality of devices of a mesh network, wherein the at least one or more respective proxy response packets is associated with a power value corresponding to each of the plurality of devices, respectively;

count a number of the at least one or more respective proxy response packets received from each of the plurality of devices, wherein at least two proxy response packets are received from at least one of the plurality of devices; and

select another device of the plurality of devices as a proxy device for the device in the mesh network based at least on the counted number of the at least one or more respective proxy response packets received from the selected another device relative to the counted numbers of the at least one or more respective proxy response packets received from each of the other devices of the plurality of devices, and the power value corresponding to the each of the plurality of devices.

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

transition the device to a low power state after selecting the other device of the plurality of devices as the proxy device.

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

transition the device from the low power state to a higher power state after a first period of time has elapsed;

transmit a first query packet to the other device of the plurality of devices, wherein the first query packet comprises a first identifier associated with the other device;

when a mesh packet is not received from the other device after a second period of time from transmitting the first query packet, transition the device back to the low power state; and

when the mesh packet is received from the other device within the second period of time from transmitting the first query packet, transmit a second query packet to the other device, wherein the second query packet comprises the first identifier and an acknowledgement of the mesh packet.

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

determine, in response to receiving the mesh packet, whether at least one additional mesh packet will be subsequently transmitted by the other device to the device based at least in part on an indicator bit of the mesh packet; and

maintain the device at the higher power state when the at least one additional mesh packet will subsequently be transmitted by the other device to the device, otherwise transition the device back to the low power state.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to adjust a receiver duty cycle of the device based at least in part on the indicator bit of the mesh packet.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the at least one processor is configured to adjust the receiver duty cycle of the device by increasing the receiver duty cycle of the device when the indicator bit of the mesh packet is set to a first value indicating that the at least one additional mesh packet will be subsequently transmitted by the other device to the device.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the at least one processor is configured to adjust the receiver duty cycle of the device by decreasing the receiver duty cycle of the device when the indicator bit is set to a second value different from the first value.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine a map comprising information of active online devices of the mesh network based at least on the respective response packet received from each of the plurality of devices of the mesh network.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the information comprises the active online devices of the mesh network that are first hop devices of the device.

10. A method, comprising:

transmitting, by a first device of a mesh network, a proxy query packet;

receiving, by the first device, one or more respective proxy response packets from each of a plurality of devices of the mesh network, wherein each of the one or more respective proxy response packets is associated with a power value corresponding to each of the plurality of devices, respectively, and at least two respective proxy response packets are received from at least one of the plurality of devices; and

selecting, by the first device, a second device of the plurality of devices as a proxy device for the first device based at least on a comparison of a count of the one or more respective proxy response packets received from each of the plurality of devices, and the power value corresponding to the each of the plurality of devices.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

transitioning, by the first device, to a low power state after selecting the second device of the plurality of devices as the proxy device.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

transitioning, by the first device, from the low power state to a higher power state after a first period of time has elapsed;

transmitting, by the first device, a first query packet to the second device of the plurality of devices, wherein the first query packet comprises a first identifier associated with the second device;

when a mesh packet is not received from the second device after a second period of time from transmitting the first query packet, transitioning, by the first device, back to the low power state; and

when the mesh packet is received from the second device within the second period of time from transmitting the first query packet, transmitting a second query packet to the second device, wherein the second query packet comprises the first identifier and an acknowledgement of the mesh packet.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

determining, by the first device and in response to receiving the mesh packet, whether at least one additional mesh packet will be subsequently transmitted by the second device to the first device based at least in part on an indicator bit of the mesh packet; and

remaining, by the first device, at the higher power state when the at least one additional mesh packet will subsequently be transmitted by the second device to the first device, otherwise transitioning, by the first device, back to the low power state.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising adjusting a receiver duty cycle of the first device based at least in part on the indicator bit of the mesh packet.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the adjusting comprises increasing the receiver duty cycle of the first device when the indicator bit of the mesh packet is set to a first value indicating that the at least one additional mesh packet will be subsequently transmitted by the second device to the first device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the adjusting comprises decreasing the receiver duty cycle of the first device when the indicator bit is set to a second value different from the first value.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising determining, by the first device, a map comprising information of active online devices of the mesh network based at least on the respective response packet received from each of the plurality of devices of the mesh network.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the information comprises the active online devices of the mesh network that are first hop devices of the first device.

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

instructions to transmit, by a first device of a mesh network, a plurality of proxy query packets;

instructions to receive, in response to the plurality of proxy query packets, at least one or more respective proxy response packets from each of a plurality of devices of the mesh network, wherein the at least one or more respective proxy response packets is associated with a power value corresponding to each of the plurality of devices, respectively;

instructions to count a number of the at least one or more respective proxy response packets received from each of the plurality of devices, wherein at least two proxy response packets are received from the at least one of the plurality of devices; and

instructions to select a second device of the plurality of devices as a proxy device for the first device based at least on a comparison of the respective counted number of the at least one or more respective proxy response packets received from each of the plurality of devices and the power value corresponding to the each of the plurality of devices.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, the instructions further comprising:

instructions to receive, by the first device, a mesh packet from the second device, wherein the mesh packet comprises an indicator bit that indicates whether at least one additional packet will be subsequently transmitted by the second device to the first device.