Method for enhancing mobility in a wireless mesh network

• US 20030003934A1
• Filed: 06/27/2001
• Published: 01/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Metricom, Inc.
• Inventors: San Filippo, William III, Garces, Rodrigo, Nguyen, Cuong-Thinh
• Granted Patent: US 7,003,313 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/517
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/32 Hierarchical cell structures

Abstract

In a wireless communication system having sometimes mobile subscriber units and a plurality of fixed network devices located at cell sites, a multimode acquisition protocol is provided at each subscriber unit which first senses whether the subscriber unit is static or mobile from the nature and quality of the communication links with nearby network devices and then enables an acquisition protocol suited to either static mode or mobile mode. In a specific embodiment, the protocol initiates procedures to change acquisition mode from static to mobile upon failure of the subscriber unit to sense three consecutive scheduled polling packets sent by a linked network device or upon loss of communication with any locally-known network device or upon failure to transmit 25 consecutive data packets. In such case, the procedure is initiated to determine whether it is appropriate to switch to a mobile mode for purposes of acquisition.

Claims

1. In a wireless communication system having mobile subscriber units and a plurality of fixed network devices located at cell sites, a method for acquiring and managing a plurality of communication modes at each subscriber unit comprising:

first sensing whether the subscriber unit is static or mobile from the nature and quality of the communication links with nearby network devices;

thereafter

enabling an acquisition protocol suited to static mode and mobile mode for said subscriber unit; and

enabling an acquisition protocol suited to mobile mode for mobile subscriber units and static mode for fixed subscriber units.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

initiating procedures to change acquisition mode from static mode to mobile mode upon failure of the subscriber unit to sense a preselected number of consecutive scheduled polling packets sent by a linked device.

3. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

initiating procedures to determine whether it is appropriate to change acquisition mode from static mode to mobile mode upon failure to transmit a preselected number of consecutive data packets

4. The method according to claim 3 further comprising:

upon decision to change to mobile mode, foregoing best node qualification.

5. The method according to claim 3 further comprising:

upon decision to change to mobile mode, foregoing registration of location with a name service.

6. The method according to claim 3 further comprising:

upon decision to change to mobile mode, transmitting sync packets at a higher repetitivity.

7. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

upon decision to change to mobile mode, foregoing third party query processes.

8. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

upon decision to change to mobile mode, foregoing best node qualification;

foregoing registration of location with a name service;

foregoing third party query processes; and

transmitting sync packets at a higher repetitivity.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

upon a subscriber unit changing its BMC, causing said subscriber unit to send forwarding packets to its former bestnode, and

updating a new corresponding path to a gateway resource.