MULTIPLE APPEARANCE PROTOCOL FOR TIMELY ORGANIZED AD HOC NETWORK

• US 20080198816A1
• Filed: 02/20/2007
• Published: 08/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intech 21, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intech 21, Inc.
• Inventors: Kats, Marat, Tchibirev, Igor, Zelmanovich, Helena, Izvarin, Yuriy
• Granted Patent: US 8,625,544 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/337
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/30 Network data restoration; Network data reliability; Network data fault tolerance

Abstract

The present invention comprises a plurality of timely organized ad hoc data communications networks and a method for data communication. A network from the plurality of networks includes media-independent communications links and plurality of network nodes, where a network node in the plurality could be coupled to at least one other network node via a media independent communication link, and a plurality of access points, where each access point in the plurality is coupled to at least one other access point via another media-independent communications link. The network communicates during a data collection cycle that includes a broadcast interval, a time-slotted communications interval and a random access time-slotted communications interval. The plurality of network nodes are arranged in a self-assigned hierarchy where one or more nodes in the plurality of network nodes can be assigned more than one time slot to transmit the network information messages.

Claims

1. A data communications network having time-slotted communication intervals, comprising:

a media-independent communications link;

a plurality of access points, wherein each access point in the plurality is coupled to at least one other access point in the plurality via the media-independent communications link;

a plurality of network nodes arranged in a self-assigned hierarchy; and

a first node in the plurality of network nodes assigned more than one time slot during a single time-slotted communication interval to transmit and receive more than one network node information message.

2. The network according to claim 1, wherein a node having an assigned time slot can obtain an additional time slot during a random access time slot interval.

3. The network according to claim 1, wherein a node having an assigned time slot can obtain an additional time slot during the assigned time slot communications interval.

4. The network according to claim 1, wherein one or more network nodes and access points comprise a wireless transceiver.

5. The network according to claim 4, wherein at least one of the access points is assigned one of a plurality of hierarchal levels, and each of the plurality of network nodes is operable to assign itself one of the plurality of hierarchal levels in accordance with a number of intervening transmissions required to ensure that the at least one node information message reaches at least one of the access points.

6. The network according to claim 5, wherein the hierarchal levels are chosen in accordance with a dynamic self routing protocol.

7. The network according to claim 6, wherein the respective hierarchal levels assigned to the access points are the same.

8. The network according to claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of network nodes is further operable to transmit its assigned hierarchal level.

9. The network according to claim 8, wherein one or more network nodes are operable to package their hierarchal level and one or more network node information messages into a data packet, the network node being further operable to transmit the data packet.

10. The network according to claim 9, wherein at least one of the access points is operable to transmit at least one acknowledgment/command message destined for at least one source network node of the plurality of network nodes, the at least one source network node being a source of at least a portion of the at least one network node information message.

11. The network according to claim 10, wherein the at least one source network node is configured to retransmit the at least one acknowledgment/command message.

12. The network according to claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of network nodes is operable to receive and retransmit the at least one acknowledgment/command message.

13. The network according to claim 1, further comprising a server coupled to the access points via the media-independent communications link wherein the access point operable to inform the remaining ones of the access points of each transmission and receipt of data is also operable to inform the server of each transmission and receipt of data.

14. The network according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second media-independent communications link; and

a first media independent network node in the plurality of network nodes coupled to the second media-independent communications link.

15. The network according to claim 14, further comprising:

a second media independent network node in the plurality of network nodes coupled to the first media-independent communications link.

16. The network according to claim 14, further comprising:

an access point in the plurality of access points coupled to the second media-independent communications link.

17. The network according to claim 1, wherein the first network node is operable to transmit subsequent data packets during timeslot before the previously transmitted data packet reaches a destination.

18. A method for data communication through a network of nodes during a data collection cycle, the data collection cycle comprising a broadcast interval, an assigned time-slotted communications interval, a random access time-slotted communications interval, and zero or more supplemental data collection cycles, the method comprising:

transmitting a broadcast data packet during the broadcast interval;

synchronizing timers in each network node from the broadcast data packet; and

a first node having an assigned time slot obtaining an additional time slot during either the random access time slot interval or the assigned time slot interval.

19. The method of claim 18, the method further comprising:

the network nodes retransmitting the broadcast data packet.

20. The method of claim 18, the method further comprising:

the first node transmitting one or more than one network node data packets during a single time-slotted communication interval to a first access point or a second node depending on a self-assigned hierarchy.

21. The method of claim 18, the method further comprising:

the first node transmitting one or more than one network node data packets during multiple time slots in the time-slotted communication interval to a first access point or a second node depending on a self-assigned hierarchy.

22. The method of claim 18, the method further comprising:

an access point transmitting an acknowledgement/command data packet during a time slot after the access point receives the network node data packet.

23. The method of claim 22, the method further comprising:

the first node having an assigned time slot requesting an additional time slot during the random access time slot interval.

24. The method of claim 22, the method further comprising:

the first node having an assigned time slot requesting an additional time slot during the assigned time slotted communications interval.

25. The method of claim 18, further comprising the first node choosing an additional time slot during the supplemental data collection cycle.

26. A data communications network having time-slotted communication intervals, comprising:

a media-independent communications link;

a plurality of access points, wherein each access point in the plurality is coupled to at least one other access point via the media-independent communications link;

a plurality of network nodes arranged in a self-assigned hierarchy; and

a first network node in the plurality of network nodes assigned more than one time slot during a single time-slotted communication interval to transmit and receive more than one network node information message to one element in a group comprising a first access point or a second network node in the plurality of the network nodes selected in accordance with a dynamic self-routing protocol,

wherein the dynamic self-routing protocol selects the elements as either;

i) at least one of the access points, or

ii) a neighboring network node in a different level of the self-assigned hierarchy of network nodes, if the first node is prevented from directly transmitting the node information message to at least one of the access points.

27. A plurality of data communications networks having time-slotted communication intervals, comprising:

a plurality of media-independent communications links;

a plurality of access points in each data network, wherein each access point in the plurality is coupled to at least one other access point in the plurality via a media-independent communications link in the plurality of media-independent communications links;

a plurality of network nodes in each network, wherein each node in each network is arranged in a self-assigned hierarchy; and

a first network node in a first plurality of network nodes in a first network assigned more than one time slot during a single time-slotted communication interval to transmit and receive more than one network node information message.

28. The plurality of data communications networks according to claim 27, further comprising:

a second network node in the first plurality of network nodes associated with a first access point in the first network that leaves the first network and joins a second network associated with a second access point.

29. The plurality of data communications networks according to claim 27, further comprising:

a third node in the first plurality of network nodes associated with a first access point in the first network that is prohibited from joining a second network associated with a second access point.