System and method for a communication protocol for wireless sensor systems including systems with high priority asynchronous message and low priority synchronous message

• US 20070076650A1
• Filed: 09/30/2005
• Published: 04/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Srinivasan, Bhaskar, Venkatraman, Lakshmi, Manjeshwar, Arati, Berube, Jim, Pandey, Anshul
• Granted Patent: US 7,426,190 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0229 where the received signal is a wanted signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/02 Selection of wireless resources by user or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method for initializing a wireless network is provided which includes discovering at least one node of the wireless network that is within hearing range of a base station of the wireless network, authenticating the at least one discovered node, assigning a node identifier to the at least one discovered node, and selecting a network frequency, at least one backup frequency, and a locally unique network identifier.

Claims

1. A method for initializing a wireless network, comprising:

discovering at least one node of the wireless network that is within hearing range of a base station of the wireless network;

authenticating the at least one discovered node;

assigning a node identifier to the at least one discovered node; and

selecting a network frequency, at least one backup frequency, and a locally unique network identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of discovering the at least one node of the wireless network includes:

transmitting a wakeup signal to the at least one node;

performing a RF wakeup by the at least one node to receive the wake up signal; and

transmitting a device identifier of the at least one node to the base station.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the device identifier is transmitted in a random time slot using a Carrier Sense Multiple Access (CSMA) protocol exchange.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of assigning the node identifier to the at least one discovered node includes distributing the node identifier to the at least one discovered node in successive cycles.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein in each successive cycle the node identifier is transmitted in a time-slotted manner to only those nodes that have not acknowledged receipt of the node identifier.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein only those nodes whose slot identifier is present in a cycle start message wakeup for receipt of the node identifier.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of assigning the node identifier to the at least one discovered node further includes:

broadcasting a first cycle start message to the at least one node, the first cycle start message including a cycle number, a message type, and a total number of time slots in a cycle, the message type including one of broadcast and unicast;

performing a RF wakeup by the at least one node to receive the broadcasted first cycle start message and sleeping until an allocated time slot;

sending a node identifier message to the at least one node during the allocated time slot, the node identifier message include a device identifier;

performing a RF wakeup by the at least one node during the allocated time slot to receive the node identifier message and sending an acknowledgement to the base station if the device identifier of the node identifier message matches a device identifier of the at least one node;

sending a subsequent cycle start message to the at least one node, which includes a list of nodes that failed to acknowledge the node identifier message, sending the node identifier message to the at least one node during the allocated time slot if the at least one node failed to acknowledge the node identifier message, and performing a RF wakeup by the at least one node if the at least one node is included in the list; and

repeating the above step for a predefined number of cycles.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of selecting the network frequency, at least one backup frequency, and the locally unique network identifier, includes collecting information regarding at least one of quality and network usage.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

performing an ambient received signal strength indication (RSSI) reading for at least one frequency.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

performing a signal-to-noise (SNR) reading for the at least one frequency.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

collecting information regarding which frequencies and network identifiers are being used by an adjacent installation.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the information is collected using a network poll approach.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

sending a poll packet message to at least one node of the adjacent installation; and

receiving a response message from the at least one node of the adjacent installation, the response message including at least one of a network identifier of the adjacent installation and a frequency used by the adjacent network installation.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the poll packet is sent by the at least one node of the wireless network.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the poll packet is sent during a back channel time slot.

16. A method for configuring a network, comprising:

discovering at least one node of the network that is within communication range of a central station of the network;

authenticating the at least one discovered node;

assigning a node identifier to the at least one discovered node;

collecting information regarding a quality of at least one transmission path between the central station and the at least one node;

collecting information regarding which communication paths and network identifiers are used by an overlapping network; and

selecting a preferred transmission path, at least one backup transmission, and a locally unique network identifier, based on the collected information.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the information regarding which communication paths and network identifiers are used by an overlapping network is collected using a network poll approach.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

sending a poll packet message to at least one node of the overlapping network; and

receiving a response message from the at least one node of the overlapping installation, the response message including at least one of a network identifier of the adjacent installation and a communication path used by the overlapping network.

19. A method for initializing a wireless communications network, comprising:

transmitting a wakeup signal to at least one node of the wireless network that is within hearing range of a base station of the wireless network;

performing a RF wakeup by the at least one node to receive the wake up signal;

transmitting a device identifier of the at least one node to the base station;

authenticating the at least one discovered node;

broadcasting a first cycle start message to the at least one node, the first cycle start message including a cycle number, a message type, and a total number of time slots in a cycle, the message type including one of broadcast and unicast;

performing a RF wakeup by the at least one node to receive the broadcasted first cycle start message and sleeping until an allocated time slot;

sending a node identifier message to the at least one node during the allocated time slot, the node identifier message include a device identifier;

performing a RF wakeup by the at least one node during the allocated time slot to receive the node identifier message and sending an acknowledgement to the base station if the device identifier of the node identifier message matches a device identifier of the at least one node;

sending a subsequent cycle start message to the at least one node, which includes a list of nodes that failed to acknowledge the node identifier message, sending the node identifier message to the at least one node during the allocated time slot if the at least one node failed to acknowledge the node identifier message, and performing a RF wakeup by the at least one node if the at least one node is included in the list;

repeating the above step for a predefined number of cycles;

collecting information regarding a quality of at least one frequency;

collecting information regarding which frequencies and network identifiers are being used by an adjacent installation; and

selecting a network frequency, at least one backup frequency, and a locally unique network identifier, based on the collected information.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

sending a poll packet message to at least one node of the adjacent installation; and

receiving a response message from the at least one node of the adjacent installation, the response message including at least one of a network identifier of the adjacent installation and a frequency used by the adjacent network installation.