NODE REPAIR IN A MESH NETWORK

• US 20070286205A1
• Filed: 03/09/2007
• Published: 12/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Silicon Laboratories Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Zensys A/S (Sigma Designs Incorporated)
• Inventors: Johansen, Niels
• Granted Patent: US 7,680,041 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/395.310
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0654 using network fault recovery ring fault isolation or reconfiguration in loop networks without recovery actions by a network management system H04L12/437
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/26 Route discovery packet
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/28 for reactive routing

Abstract

In embodiments of the present invention improved capabilities are described for sensing a change in a network topology using a discovery node in a mesh network; transmitting an explore frame, based at least in part on the sensed change, from the discovery node to a destination node using an intermediate node; receiving a response to the explore frame from the destination node; determining at least one functional network route from the discovery node to the destination node based at least in part on route information received in association with the response to the explore frame, wherein the route information includes a node path; and transmitting an instruction to the destination node from the discovery node based on a reverse node path.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

sensing a change in a network topology using a discovery node in a mesh network;

transmitting an explore frame, based at least in part on the sensed change, from the discovery node to a destination node using an intermediate node;

receiving a response to the explore frame from the destination node;

determining at least one functional network route from the discovery node to the destination node based at least in part on route information received in association with the response to the explore frame, wherein the route information includes a node path; and

transmitting an instruction to the destination node from the discovery node based on a reverse node path.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising updating the network topology in the source route table based at least in part on the route information.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of initiating a rediscovery protocol wherein a plurality of functional network routes from the discovery node to the destination node are established and stored in association with the discovery node.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the intermediate node is a plurality of intermediate nodes.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the change in network topology is associated with a node failure.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the change in network topology is associated with a device that has moved in physical location.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the change in network topology is associated with an environmental change.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the change in network topology is a network route failure.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the change in network topology is associated with a user request to determine a current network topology of the mesh network.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the change in network topology is based at least in part on network topology data received from a central network topology server.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the explore frame includes information identifying it as a source routed frame.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the explore frame is transmitted through the mesh network using a flooding algorithm.

31. The method of claim 1, wherein the mesh network includes a node identifier for each node in the mesh network.

32. The method of claim 1, wherein the route information includes all possible routes from the discovery node to the destination node.

35. The method of claim 1, wherein the node path is the ordering and identification of nodes traveled in transmitting from the destination node to the discovery node.

36. The method of claim 1, wherein the reverse node path is the ordering of nodes in a route that enables transmission between the discovery node and the destination node.

42. The method of claim 1, wherein the updated network topology is stored at the discovery node.

45. The method of claim 1, wherein the updated network topology is transmitted to a central network topology server by the discovery node.

4-6. -6. (canceled)

11. (canceled)

13-14. -14. (canceled)

17. (canceled)

19-20. -20. (canceled)

22-23. -23. (canceled)

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the discovery node receives a plurality of explore frames claims 25-30 (canceled)

33-34. -34. (canceled)

37-41. -41. (canceled)

43-44. -44. (canceled)

46-54. -54. (canceled)

55. A system comprising:

a sense facility for sensing a change in a network topology using a discovery node in a mesh network;

a transmission facility for transmitting an explore frame, based at least in part on the sensed change, from the discovery node to a destination node using an intermediate node;

a reception facility for receiving a response to the explore frame from the destination node;

a determination facility for determining at least one functional network route from the discovery node to the destination node based at least in part on route information received in association with the response to the explore frame, wherein the route information includes a node path; and

a second transmission facility for transmitting an instruction to the destination node from the discovery node based on a reverse node path.

56-108. -108. (canceled)