Directing packets in a mesh network

• US 20050249215A1
• Filed: 02/22/2005
• Published: 11/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ember Corporation
• Original Assignee: Ember Corporation
• Inventors: Poor, Robert Dunbar, Paris, Matteo Neale, Kelsey, Richard Andrews
• Application Number:
  US11/062,514
• Publication Number:
  US 20050249215A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/392
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/34 Source routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/52 Multiprotocol routers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/26 for hybrid routing by combining proactive and reactive routing

Abstract

A wireless mesh network includes nodes of a first type and nodes of a second type. Packets are routed from nodes of the first type to nodes of the second type using a first routing protocol, and packet are routed from nodes of the second type to nodes of the first type using a second routing protocol that differs from the first routing protocol.

Claims

1. A method for directing packets in a wireless mesh network that includes nodes of a first type and nodes of a second type, the method comprising:

routing packets from nodes of the first type to nodes of the second type using a first routing protocol; and

routing packet from nodes of the second type to nodes of the first type using a second routing protocol that differs from the first routing protocol.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the network includes more nodes of the second type than nodes of the first type.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the second routing protocol comprises:

storing a cost associated with sending a packet to a destination node of the first type; and

transmitting a first packet to the destination node of the first type along a route of nodes.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the further comprising:

accumulating the route of nodes in the first packet.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the first routing protocol comprises:

storing the route of nodes at a node of the first type; and

transmitting a second packet to a destination node of the second type based on the route of nodes.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein transmitting the second packet includes skipping one or more nodes along the route of nodes.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the second routing protocol implements a gradient routing approach.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the first routing protocol implements one or more of the approaches in the group consisting of:

a source routing approach;

a data flooding approach;

an ad hoc on-demand distance vector routing approach; and

a dynamic source routing approach.

9. A method for directing packets in a wireless mesh network, the method comprising:

storing a route of nodes at a source node in the network; and

transmitting a packet to a destination node in the network based on the route of nodes, including skipping one or more nodes along the route of nodes.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein a skipped node transmits an acknowledgement for the packet.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein a node not on the route redirects the packet after a node on the route fails to receive the packet.

12. A wireless mesh network comprising:

at least one node of a first type; and

a plurality of nodes of a second type;

wherein each node is configured to route packets from nodes of the first type to nodes of the second type using a first routing protocol; and

route packet from nodes of the second type to nodes of the first type using a second routing protocol that differs from the first routing protocol.

13. The network of claim 12 wherein there are more nodes of the second type than nodes of the first type.

14. The network of claim 12 wherein the second routing protocol comprises:

storing a cost associated with sending a packet to a destination node of the first type; and

transmitting a first packet to the destination node of the first type along a route of nodes.

15. Software stored on a computer-readable medium for directing packets in a wireless mesh network that includes nodes of a first type and nodes of a second type, comprising instructions for causing a processor to:

route packets from nodes of the first type to nodes of the second type using a first routing protocol; and

route packet from nodes of the second type to nodes of the first type using a second routing protocol that differs from the first routing protocol.

16. The software of claim 15 wherein the network includes more nodes of the second type than nodes of the first type.

17. The software of claim 15 wherein the second routing protocol comprises:

storing a cost associated with sending a packet to a destination node of the first type; and

transmitting a first packet to the destination node of the first type along a route of nodes.