Dynamic beaconing in wireless mesh networks

• US 20070140279A1
• Filed: 12/15/2005
• Published: 06/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Sadeghi, Bahareh, Yang, Liuyang
• Granted Patent: US 7,733,842 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/406
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/00 Synchronisation arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A method, apparatus and system for communicating in a wireless mesh network may relate to a mesh point observing beacon transmissions of one or more neighboring mesh points and dynamically determining if and when to transmit its own beacon based on these observations. Determining when to transmit the beacon may be performed without time synchronization between the one or more neighboring mesh points and be dynamically selected based on the observed transmission time pattern of the neighboring mesh points. Various additional details and embodiments are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for communicating in a wireless mesh network, the method comprising:

observing beacon transmissions, if any, from one or more neighboring mesh points; and

dynamically determining if and when to transmit a beacon based on the observations.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein dynamically determining when to transmit the beacon is performed without dependence on time synchronization between the one or more neighboring mesh points.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein observing beacon transmissions includes determining a beacon transmission time pattern of the neighboring mesh points.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein dynamically determining if and when to transmit the beacon comprises determining a probability for transmitting the beacon based on the beacon transmission time pattem.

5. The method of claim 3 further comprising transmitting the beacon at an available time selected based on the beacon transmission time pattern.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the wireless mesh network comprises one of a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wireless personal area network (WPAN) or a wireless metropolitan area network (WMAN).

7. A wireless device comprising:

a processing circuit including logic to determine a beacon transmission time pattern of one or more neighboring wireless mesh points and dynamically determine if and when to transmit its own beacon based on the determined beacon transmission time pattern.

8. The wireless device of claim 7 wherein the logic comprises a medium access control (MAC) circuit to calculate a probability of the wireless device transmitting its own beacon based, at least in part, on a number of beacons being transmitted by the one or more neighboring wireless mesh points in a given amount of time.

9. The wireless device of claim 7 wherein dynamically determining when to transmit its own beacon comprises selecting a time between two consecutive beacons generated by the one or more neighboring wireless mesh points with a longest interval in between.

10. The wireless device of claim 7 wherein the device comprises a mobile station.

11. The wireless device of claim 7 wherein the device comprises a network access station.

12. A system for use in a wireless mesh network, the system comprising:

a processing circuit to determine a beacon transmission time pattern of one or more neighboring wireless mesh points and dynamically determine if and when to transmit its own beacon based on the determined beacon transmission time pattern;

a radio frequency (RF) interface communicatively coupled to the processing circuit; and

at least one substantially omnidirectional antenna coupled to the RF interface.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein dynamically determining when to transmit the beacon is performed without dependence on time synchronization between the one or more neighboring mesh points.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein dynamically determining whether to transmit the beacon comprises determining a probability for transmitting the beacon based on the beacon transmission time patten.

15. The system of claim 12 wherein the wireless mesh network comprises one of a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wireless personal area network (WPAN) or a wireless metropolitan area network (WMAN).

16. The system of claim 12 wherein the system comprises a mobile station.

17. The system of claim 12 wherein the system comprises a base station.

18. An article of manufacture comprising a tangible medium storing machine readable code which when processed by a processing device result in:

observing beacon transmissions, if any, from one or more neighboring wireless mesh points; and

dynamically determining based on the observations if a beacon should be transmitted and, if so, when to transmit the beacon.

19. The article of claim 18 wherein dynamically determining when to transmit the beacon is performed without dependence on time synchronization between the one or more neighboring wireless mesh points.

20. The article of claim 18 further including code, which when executed by the processing device, result in:

recording a beacon transmission time pattern of the neighboring wireless mesh points.