Wireless handheld configuration device for a securable wireless self-organizing mesh network

• US 20080082698A1
• Filed: 06/13/2007
• Published: 04/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rosemount Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Rosemount Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Schnaare, Theodore Henry
• Granted Patent: US 9,167,423 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/250
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/0471 Key exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/22 with access to wired networks

Abstract

A self-organizing mesh network is made up of individual devices configured to use other network devices to pass data from one point to another. The network also includes a secondary operating mode that accommodates handheld and other non-fixed transient network nodes. Each device in the network maintains a configuration link that is used to detect the presence of a handheld device. The handheld device uses the configuration link to identify nearby network devices. A user of the handheld device can then select one of the network devices and establish a small point-to-point subnetwork between the handheld device and the selected network device.

Claims

1. A wireless self-organizing network comprising:

a plurality of devices configured to use other devices to pass data over the network, each device having a common communication slot; and

a handheld wireless communicator capable of communicating with the devices using the common communication slot to establish a temporary point-to-point subnetwork with one of the devices.

2. The network of claim 1, wherein the configuration slot is a common time and frequency shared by the devices for establishing communication with the handheld wireless communicator.

3. The network of claim 1, wherein the handheld wireless communicator builds a neighbor list of devices whose presence has been detected on the common communication slot.

4. The network of claim 3 wherein the handheld wireless communicator displays the neighbor list for user selection of the device with which the temporary point-to-point subnetwork is established.

5. The network of claim 4, wherein the handheld wireless communicator provides a join key and a network ID to the selected device.

6. The network of claim 1, wherein the temporary point-to-point network uses communication slots not currently being used for passing data among the plurality devices.

7. A wireless self-organizing mesh network of individual devices, the network comprising:

a network manager for establishing a primary operating mode in which data is passed over the mesh network using the individual devices; and

a configuration device capable of establishing a temporary point-to-point connection with a selected one of the individual devices using a secondary operating mode of the mesh network.

8. The mesh network of claim 7, wherein each of the individual devices includes a configuration slot for establishing communication with the configuration device.

9. The mesh network of claim 8, wherein the configuration slot comprises a time and frequency shared by the individual devices.

10. The mesh network of claim 7, wherein each individual device includes software that allows establishment of the temporary point-to-point connection between the individual device and the configuration device without participation of the network manager.

11. The mesh network of claim 7, wherein communications over the point-to-point connection between the individual device and the configuration device are secured through the use of a network encryption key.

12. A method of providing communication between fixed network nodes of a wireless mesh network and a non-fixed transient node, the method comprising:

positioning the non-fixed transient node in a vicinity of at least one of the fixed network nodes;

detecting at the non-fixed transient node wireless transmissions from at least one of the fixed network nodes; and

establishing a temporary point-to-point subnetwork for communication between the non-fixed transient node and one of the fixed network nodes whose wireless transmission was detected.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the fixed network nodes have a common communication slot for establishing communication with the non-fixed transient mode.

14. The method of claim 13 and further comprising:

building a neighbor list of fixed network nodes whose wireless transmissions on the communication slot have been detected.

15. The method of claim 14 and further comprising:

displaying the neighbor list.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein establishing a temporary point-to-point subnetwork is in response to a user selection of a node shown in the displayed neighbor list.

17. The method of claim 12 and further comprising:

providing a join key and a network ID from the non-fixed transient node to a fixed network node to which the temporary point-to-point subnetwork is to be established.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein communications over the temporary point-to-point subnetwork are encrypted using the join key.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein communications over the temporary point-to-point subnetwork are secured through use of an encryption key.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the non-fixed transient node comprises a handheld wireless configuration device, and further comprising:

configuring the one of the fixed network nodes with the handheld wireless configuration device using communications over the temporary point-to-point subnetwork.