Mesh network

• US 20080144643A1
• Filed: 03/02/2007
• Published: 06/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Berg, Heikki
• Application Number:
  US11/712,915
• Publication Number:
  US 20080144643A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/20 Manipulation of established connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

There is provided a method comprising: providing two transmission bands for simultaneous communication of signals by a plurality of mesh nodes of a mesh network; dividing both of the transmission bands into at least three subchannel regions, each subchannel region including a subset of available logical subchannels of a multiple access technology; and allocating at least four subchannel regions of the transmission bands to each mesh node of the plurality of mesh nodes for use in transmission and reception, wherein the transmission and reception of a mesh node are allocated to subchannel regions of different transmission bands.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing two transmission bands for simultaneous communication of signals by a plurality of mesh nodes of a mesh network;

dividing both of the transmission bands into at least three subchannel regions, each subchannel region including a subset of available logical subchannels of a multiple access technology; and

allocating at least four subchannel regions of the transmission bands to each mesh node of the plurality of mesh nodes for use in transmission and reception, wherein the transmission and reception of a mesh node are allocated to subchannel regions of different transmission bands.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

allocating the transmission and reception of the mesh node in transmission bands opposite to those to which where the transmission and reception of a neighboring mesh node to the mesh node is allocated.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

changing the allocations of transmission and reception of two neighboring mesh nodes to different transmission bands when the two neighboring mesh nodes change places.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting data to one or more neighboring mesh nodes in a first transmission band, and receiving data from one or more neighboring mesh nodes in a second transmission band.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting data simultaneously to one or more first neighboring mesh nodes in an uplink direction and to one or more second neighboring mesh nodes in a downlink direction in two or more subchannel regions of a transmission band.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving data simultaneously from one or more first neighboring mesh nodes from a downlink direction and from one or more second neighboring mesh nodes from an uplink direction in two or more subchannel regions of a transmission band.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

balancing uplink and downlink communications within the allocated subchannel regions on the basis of traffic situation in the mesh network.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

applying time division multiplexing on top of orthogonal frequency division multiple access in the mesh network.

9. A mesh node comprising:

a processing unit configured to control functions of the mesh node; and

a transceiver configured to simultaneous communicate signals with one or more other mesh nodes of a mesh network using two transmission bands, wherein both of the two transmission bands include at least three subchannel regions, each subchannel region including a subset of available logical subchannels of a multiple access technology, wherein

the processing unit is configured to control use of at least four subchannel regions allocated to the mesh node for transmission and reception, wherein the transmission and reception of the mesh node are allocated to subchannel regions of different transmission bands.

10. The mesh node of claim 9, wherein the processing unit is configured to control the transmission and reception of the mesh node in transmission bands opposite to those to which where the transmission and reception of a neighboring mesh node to the mesh node is allocated.

11. The mesh node of claim 9, wherein the processing unit is configured to change the allocations of transmission and reception of the mesh node to different transmission bands when the mesh node changes places with a neighboring mesh node.

12. The mesh node of claim 9, wherein the processing unit is configured to transmit data to one or more neighboring mesh nodes in a first transmission band, and to receive data from one or more neighboring mesh nodes in a second transmission band.

13. The mesh node of claim 9, wherein the processing unit is configured to transmit data simultaneously to one or more first neighboring mesh nodes in an uplink direction and to one or more second neighboring mesh nodes in a downlink direction in two or more subchannel regions of a transmission band.

14. The mesh node of claim 9, wherein the processing unit is configured to receive data simultaneously from one or more first neighboring mesh nodes from a downlink direction and from one or more second neighboring mesh nodes from an uplink direction in two or more subchannel regions of a transmission band.

15. The mesh node of claim 9, wherein the processing unit is configured to balance uplink and downlink communications within the allocated subchannel regions on the basis of traffic situation in the mesh network.

16. A mesh network, comprising:

a plurality of mesh nodes, each mesh node comprising

a processing unit configured to control functions of the mesh node, and

a transceiver configured to simultaneous communicate signals with one or more other mesh nodes of a mesh network using two transmission bands, wherein both of the two transmission bands include at least three subchannel regions, each subchannel region including a subset of available logical subchannels of a multiple access technology, wherein

the processing unit is configured to control use of at least four subchannel regions allocated to the mesh node for transmission and reception, wherein the transmission and reception of the mesh node are allocated to subchannel regions of different transmission bands.

17. The mesh network of claim 16, wherein each of the plurality of mesh nodes is configured to control the transmission and reception of the mesh node in transmission bands opposite to those to which where the transmission and reception of a neighboring mesh node to the mesh node is allocated.

18. A transceiver for a mesh node, the transceiver comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit signals in at least one subchannel region of at least three subchannel regions of a transmission band of two transmission bands allocated to a plurality of mesh nodes of a mesh network for simultaneous communication of signals, each subchannel region including a subset of available logical subchannels of a multiple access technology; and

a receiver configured to receive signals in at least one subchannel region of at least three subchannel regions of a transmission band of the two transmission bands other than that the transmitter is using for transmitting,

wherein the transceiver is configured to control use of at least four subchannel regions allocated to the mesh node for transmission and reception.

19. The transceiver of claim 18, wherein the transceiver is configured to control the transmission and reception of the mesh node in transmission bands opposite to those to which where the transmission and reception of a neighboring mesh node to the mesh node is allocated.

20. The transceiver of claim 18, wherein the transceiver is configured to change the allocations of transmission and reception of the mesh node to different transmission bands, when the mesh node changes places with a neighboring mesh node.

21. The transceiver of claim 18, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit data to one or more neighboring mesh nodes in a first transmission band, and to receive data from one or more neighboring mesh nodes in a second transmission band.

22. The transceiver of claim 18, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit data simultaneously to one or more first neighboring mesh nodes in an uplink direction and to one or more second neighboring mesh nodes in a downlink direction in two or more subchannel regions of a transmission band.

23. The transceiver of claim 18, wherein the receiver is configured to receive data simultaneously from one or more first neighboring mesh nodes from a downlink direction and from one or more second neighboring mesh nodes from an uplink direction in two or more subchannel regions of a transmission band.

24. The transceiver of claim 18, wherein the transceiver is configured to balance uplink and downlink communications within the allocated subchannel regions on the basis of traffic situation in the mesh network.

25. A computer-readable program distribution medium encoding a computer program of instructions for executing a computer process, the process comprising:

providing two transmission bands for simultaneous communication of signals by a plurality of mesh nodes of a mesh network;

dividing both of the transmission bands into at least three subchannel regions, each subchannel region including a subset of available logical subchannels of a multiple access technology; and

allocating at least four subchannel regions of the transmission bands to each mesh node of the plurality of mesh nodes for use in transmission and reception, wherein the transmission and reception of a mesh node are allocated to subchannel regions of different transmission bands.

26. The computer program distribution medium of claim 25, the distribution medium including at least one of the following media:

a computer readable medium, a program storage medium, a record medium, a computer readable memory, a computer readable software distribution package, a computer readable signal, a computer readable telecommunications signal, and a computer readable compressed software package.

27. A mesh node comprising:

transceiver means for simultaneous communication of signals with one or more other mesh nodes of a mesh network using two transmission bands, wherein both of the two transmission bands include at least three subchannel regions, each subchannel region including a subset of available logical subchannels of a multiple access technology; and

processing means for controlling use of at least four subchannel regions allocated to the mesh node for transmission and reception, wherein the transmission and reception of the mesh node are allocated to subchannel regions of different transmission bands.

28. The mesh node of claim 27, wherein the processing means control the transmission and reception of the mesh node in transmission bands opposite to those to which where the transmission and reception of a neighboring mesh node to the mesh node is allocated.

29. A transceiver for a mesh node, the transceiver comprising:

transmitting means for transmitting signals in at least one subchannel region of at least three subchannel regions of a transmission band of two transmission bands allocated to a plurality of mesh nodes of a mesh network for simultaneous communication of signals, each subchannel region including a subset of available logical subchannels of a multiple access technology;

receiving means for receiving signals in at least one subchannel region of at least three subchannel regions of a transmission band of the two transmission bands other than that the transmitter is using for transmitting; and

processing means for controlling use of at least four subchannel regions allocated to the mesh node for transmission and reception.

30. The transceiver of claim 29, further comprising processing means for controlling the transmission and reception of the mesh node in transmission bands opposite to those to which where the transmission and reception of a neighboring mesh node to the mesh node is allocated.