Multi-node communication system and method of requesting, reporting and collecting destination-node-based measurements and route-based measurements

• US 20060230238A1
• Filed: 03/08/2006
• Published: 10/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Interdigital Technology Corporation (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Interdigital Technology Corporation (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tomici, John L., Roy, Vincent, Zaki, Maged, Lu, Guang
• Granted Patent: US 7,738,859 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/141
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/122 by minimising distances, e.g. by selecting a route with minimum of number of hops
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/22 using selective relaying for reaching a BTS [Base Transceiver Station] or an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

A multi-node communication system and method used to request, report and collect destination-node-based measurements and route-based measurements is disclosed. The communication system may be a mesh network including a plurality of mesh points (MPs). In one embodiment, a destination-node-based measurement request is sent to one or more destination nodes via destination-unicast, destination-multicast, or destination-broadcast, using routes specified via next-hop-unicast, next-hop-multicast, or next-hop-broadcast addressing. In another embodiment, a source node sends a measurement request message to a final destination node, whereby each node along the route individually sends a measurement report message to the source node. Alternatively, measurement results of each node are combined and appended to the measurement request message, and a measurement report message including the combined measurement results is sent to the source node.

Claims

1. A method of collecting and reporting measurement results in a communication system including a source node, at least one intermediate node and a final destination node, the method comprising:

(a) the source node sending a measurement request message to the at least one intermediate node;

(b) in response to receiving the measurement request message, the at least one intermediate node forwarding the measurement request message to a next-hop node;

(c) the at least one intermediate node conducting measurements;

(d) the at least one intermediate node sending a measurement report message back to the source node; and

(e) if the next-hop node is the final destination node which receives the measurement request message, the final destination node conducting measurements and sending a measurement report message to the source node.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the communication system is a mesh network and the nodes are mesh points (MPs).

3. A method of collecting and reporting measurement results in a communication system including a source node, at least one intermediate node and a final destination node, the method comprising:

(a) the source node sending a measurement request message to the at least one intermediate node;

(b) in response to receiving the measurement request message, the at least one intermediate node forwarding the measurement request message to a next-hop node;

(c) the at least one intermediate node conducting measurements to generate first measurement results;

(d) if the next-hop node is the final destination node which receives the measurement request message, the final destination node conducting measurements to generate second measurement results and sending a first measurement report message including the second measurement results to the at least one intermediate node; and

(e) the at least one intermediate node combining the first and second measurement results to generate combined measurement results and sending a second measurement reporting message to the source node.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the communication system is a mesh network and the nodes are mesh points (MPs).

5. A method of collecting and reporting measurement results in a communication system including a source node, at least two intermediate nodes and a final destination node, the method comprising:

(a) the source node sending a measurement request message to a first one of the intermediate nodes;

(b) in response to receiving the measurement request message, the first intermediate node conducting measurements to generate first measurement results, appending the first measurement results to the measurement request message and forwarding the measurement request message to a second one of the intermediate nodes;

(c) in response to receiving the measurement request message, the second intermediate node conducting measurements to generate second measurement results, combining the second measurement results with the first measurement results to generate first combined measurement results, appending the first combined measurement results to the measurement request message and forwarding the measurement request message to a next-hop node; and

(d) if the next-hop node is the final destination node which receives the measurement request message, the final destination node conducting measurements to generate third measurement results, combining the third measurement results with the first combined measurement results to generate second combined measurement results, and sending a measurement reporting message including the second combined measurement results to the source node.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the communication system is a mesh network and the nodes are mesh points (MPs).

7. A communication system for collecting and reporting measurement results, the system comprising:

a source node;

at least one intermediate node; and

a final destination node, wherein;

(i) the source node sends a measurement request message to the at least one intermediate node;

(ii) the at least one intermediate node forwards the measurement request message to a next-hop node in response to receiving the measurement request message;

(iii) the at least one intermediate node conducts measurements;

(iv) the at least one intermediate node sends a measurement report message back to the source node; and

(v) the final destination node conducts measurements and sends a measurement report message to the source node, if the next-hop node is the final destination node which receives the measurement request message.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the communication system is a mesh network and the nodes are mesh points (MPs).

9. A communication system for collecting and reporting measurement results, the system comprising:

a source node;

at least one intermediate node; and

a final destination node, wherein;

(i) the source node sends a measurement request message to the at least one intermediate node;

(ii) the at least one intermediate node forwards the measurement request message to a next-hop node in response to receiving the measurement request message;

(iii) the at least one intermediate node conducts measurements to generate first measurement results;

(iv) if the next-hop node is the final destination node which receives the measurement request message, the final destination node conducts measurements to generate second measurement results and sends a first measurement report message including the second measurement results to the at least one intermediate node; and

(v) the at least one intermediate node combines the first and second measurement results to generate combined measurement results and sends a second measurement reporting message to the source node.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the communication system is a mesh network and the nodes are mesh points (MPs).

11. A communication system for collecting and reporting measurement results, the system comprising:

a source node;

a plurality of intermediate nodes; and

a final destination node, wherein;

(i) the source node sends a measurement request message to a first one of the intermediate nodes;

(ii) the first intermediate node receives the measurement request message, conducts measurements to generate first measurement results, appends the first measurement results to the measurement request message and forwards the measurement request message to a second one of the intermediate nodes;

(iii) the second intermediate node receives the measurement request message, conducts measurements to generate second measurement results, combines the second measurement results with the first measurement results to generate first combined measurement results, appends the first combined measurement results to the measurement request message and forwarding the measurement request message to a next-hop node; and

(iv) if the next-hop node is the final destination node which receives the measurement request message, the final destination node conducts measurements to generate third measurement results, combines the third measurement results with the first combined measurement results to generate second combined measurement results, and sends a measurement reporting message including the second combined measurement results to the source node.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the communication system is a mesh network and the nodes are mesh points (MPs).

13. A method of collecting and reporting measurement results in a communication system including a source node, at least one intermediate node and a final destination node, the method comprising:

(a) the source node sending a destination-node-based measurement request message to the final destination node using destination-unicast/next-hop-unicast addressing;

(b) in response to receiving the destination-node-based measurement request message, the at least one intermediate node determining the next-hop towards the final destination node and forwarding the destination-node-based measurement request message to a next-hop node; and

(c) if the next-hop node is the final destination node which receives the destination-node-based measurement request message, the final destination node conducting measurements and sending a measurement report message to the source node via the at least one intermediate node.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the communication system is a mesh network and the nodes are mesh points (MPs).

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the destination-node-based measurement request message and the measurement report message are unicast messages.

16. A method of collecting and reporting measurement results in a communication system including a source node, at least one intermediate node and a final destination node, the method comprising:

(a) the source node sending a destination-node-based measurement request message to the final destination node using destination-unicast/next-hop-multicast addressing, wherein the destination-node-based measurement request message is multicast such that it is received by the at least one intermediate node and the final destination node;

(b) in response to receiving the destination-node-based measurement request message, the final destination node conducting at least one measurement requested by the destination-node-based measurement request message and sending a measurement report message to the source node;

(c) in response to receiving the destination-node-based measurement request message, the at least one intermediate node decrementing a maximum number of next-hops to determine whether the at least one intermediate node should continue to propagate the destination-node-based measurement request message via next-hop multicasting; and

(d) if the maximum number of next-hops is greater than zero, the at least one intermediate node sending the destination-node-based measurement request message to the final destination node via next-hop multicasting.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

(e) the source node receiving a measurement request message from the at least one intermediate node;

(f) the source node recognizing from a source address and transaction identifier that the measurement request message is a copy of an ongoing transaction; and

(g) the source node suppressing any further multicasting of the measurement request message.

18. The method of claim 16 wherein the communication system is a mesh network and the nodes are mesh points (MPs).

19. A communication system for collecting and reporting measurement results, the system comprising:

a source node;

at least one intermediate node; and

a final destination node, wherein;

(i) the source node sends a destination-node-based measurement request message to the final destination node using destination-unicast/next-hop-multicast addressing, wherein the destination-node-based measurement request message is multicast such that it is received by the at least one intermediate node and the final destination node;

(ii) in response to receiving the destination-node-based measurement request message, the final destination node conducts at least one measurement requested by the destination-node-based measurement request message and sends a measurement report message to the source node;

(iii) in response to receiving the destination-node-based measurement request message, the at least one intermediate node decrements a maximum number of next-hops to determine whether the at least one intermediate node should continue to propagate the destination-node-based measurement request message via next-hop multicasting; and

(iv) if the maximum number of next-hops is greater than zero, the at least one intermediate node sends the destination-node-based measurement request message to the final destination node via next-hop multicasting.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the communication system is a mesh network and the nodes are mesh points (MPs).

21. A communication system for collecting and reporting measurement results, the system comprising:

a source node;

at least one intermediate node; and

a final destination node, wherein;

(i) the source node sends a destination-node-based measurement request message to the final destination node using destination-unicast/next-hop-multicast addressing, wherein the destination-node-based measurement request message is multicast such that it is received by the at least one intermediate node and the final destination node;

(ii) in response to receiving the destination-node-based measurement request message, the final destination node conducts at least one measurement requested by the destination-node-based measurement request message and sends a measurement report message to the source node;

(iii) in response to receiving the destination-node-based measurement request message, the at least one intermediate node decrements a maximum number of next-hops to determine whether the at least one intermediate node should continue to propagate the destination-node-based measurement request message via next-hop multicasting; and

(iv) if the maximum number of next-hops is greater than zero, the at least one intermediate node sends the destination-node-based measurement request message to the final destination node via next-hop multicasting.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein the communication system is a mesh network and the nodes are mesh points (MPs).