Method for managing a communication network comprising wireless links with more than two wireless devices

• US 20040157596A1
• Filed: 11/21/2003
• Published: 08/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital CE Patent Holdings SAS (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Straub, Gilles, Thomas, Nathalie, Perrot, Sebastien
• Granted Patent: US 7,843,957 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/426.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40052 High-speed IEEE 1394 serial bus bus transfer protocol on a daisy chain bus using an embedded synchronisation G06F13/426
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40091 Bus bridging LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; single bridge functionality H04L12/462
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 Master-slave selection or change arrangements

Abstract

The invention concerns a method for managing resets in a communication network comprising wireless devices connecting busses over a wireless link, comprising the steps of: electing a parent wireless device among the wireless devices of the network, other wireless devices being labeled child wireless devices; having a first child wireless device send a bus reset message to the parent wireless device further to a reset on the child wireless device'"'"'s local bus; having the parent wireless device spread the bus reset to other child wireless devices; having the other child wireless devices perform a bus reset on their local wired bus.

Claims

1. Method for managing resets in a communication network comprising wireless devices connecting busses over a wireless link, comprising the steps of:

electing a parent wireless device among the wireless devices of the network, other wireless devices being labeled child wireless devices;

having a first child wireless device send a bus reset message to the parent wireless device further to a reset on the child wireless device'"'"'s local bus;

having the parent wireless device spread the bus reset to other child wireless devices;

having the other child wireless devices perform a bus reset on their local wired bus.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein for the purpose of generating the reset, the parent wireless device sends to each child device the self-ids of the nodes of the entire network, except the nodes connected to the child device'"'"'s bus.

3. Method according to claims 1 or 2, wherein the bus reset message sent by the first child device contains self_id packets of the nodes of this child device'"'"'s bus.

4. Method according to one of the claims 1 to 3, further comprising the step of having the parent device send an acknowledge message to the first child device upon completion of the reset by the other child devices.

5. Method according to one of the claims 1 to 4, wherein the busses are connected transparently as far as nodes connected to the busses are concerned, characterized by the steps of:

associating a wireless device with a central controller of the wireless link;

verifying whether the transparent connection of the wireless device will result in an authorized network topology, and,

in the negative, forbidding the transparent connection, maintaining the association, and rechecking the network topology condition at certain moments to reinitiate connection.

6. Method according to claim 5, wherein the network topology condition is the total number of devices on the network.

7. Method according to claims 5 or 6, further comprising the step of verifying the network topology condition when a new device is added on a bus which is already transparently connected to the network through a wireless device and of disconnecting said bus if the resulting network topology is not authorized, but maintaining association.

8. Method according to claim 7, wherein the disconnected wireless device tries to connect again under one of the following conditions:

the number of devices on its bus has decreased or the number of devices on the rest of the network has decreased.