Method for Transmission of Information Between Nodes of a Network and Network Using Said Method

• US 20080316916A1
• Filed: 04/06/2005
• Published: 12/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG (ABB Limited)
• Original Assignee: Power-One Italy S.p.A. (ABB Limited)
• Inventors: Vernia, Filippo, Tazzari, Davide
• Granted Patent: US 8,249,050 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/216
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5441 Wireless systems or telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5466 using three phases conductors
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5491 using filtering and bypassing
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/54 Systems for transmission via power distribution lines
• 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 45/34 Source routing

Abstract

The invention describes a method for communication between nodes (UR1, UR2; UC1-UC16) of a network, interconnected by a transmission channel and each identified by a node identification number in which at least one transmitter node emits at least one message to at least one message recipient node. The message comprises a description of a path (PH) between the transmitter node which emits the message and the message recipient node. The path is defined by the node that emits the message via a sequence of node identification numbers along the path itself.

Claims

1-22. -22. (canceled)

23. A method for communication between nodes of a network interconnected by a transmission channel and each identified by a node identification number comprising:

(a) at least one transmitter node emitting at least one message to at least one message recipient node,

(b) said message including a description of a path between said transmitter node that emits the message and said message recipient node, said path being defined by the node that emits the message, via a sequence of node identification numbers along said path;

(c) the nodes of the path regenerate the message by sending it to the next node defined by said path stored in the message;

(d) each node that receives a message from a node preceding it along said path sends a confirmation of reception of the message to said node preceding it; and

(e) when a node does not receive a message of confirmation to its own message addressed to the subsequent node along the path, it makes at least one attempt at transmission of said message to the node which, in said path, is subsequent to the node from which the confirmation message has not been received.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein each of said messages comprises an identification number of a subsequent node along said path to which the message must be transmitted, said identification number of the subsequent node identifying to which node of the path defined in the message said message must be transmitted.

25. The Method of claim 24, wherein:

when a message recipient node receives said message, it generates a reply message addressed to the node that emitted the message and containing a description of the path from the node that receives the message to the node that has emitted the message received;

when a node different from the message recipient node receives a message with subsequent node identification number different from its own identification number, said node remains inert; and

when a node receives a message in which the identification number of the subsequent node corresponds to its own identification number, it generates an echo of the message, replacing the subsequent node identification number with the identification number of the following node in the sequence of node identification numbers defining said path.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein each node that receives a message from a node preceding it along the path defined in said message sends confirmation of reception of the message to said node that precedes it.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein said confirmation of reception of the message is an echo of the message, generated by the next node and transmitted on said network.

28. The method of claim 23, wherein after a certain number of attempts at transmission of the same message to consecutive nodes along the path defined in a message received, the node generates a message signaling interruption of the path.

29. The method of claim 23, wherein said messages comprise interrogation messages of one single recipient node, which is programmed to reply to the interrogation message with a reply message containing information relating to said recipient node.

30. The method of claim 23, wherein said messages comprise control messages of all the nodes along a path between a node emitting the message and a message recipient node, said control messages being modified by each node along the path, with the addition of at least one datum relating to a condition of each node along said path.

31. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

providing a plurality of collecting nodes and a plurality of control nodes; and

dividing said control nodes into a plurality of groups, each group comprising a series of control nodes, each group being assigned to a collecting node and the collecting node interrogating via said messages the control nodes to collect information from said control nodes.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the path of the message is defined by a collecting node, and wherein a control node which must send a reply to a message received from a collecting node uses a path defined in one of the messages received from said collecting node.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein each control node of a group assigned is also assigned to an additional collecting node and wherein:

in the absence of faults on the collecting nodes, the control nodes of each group communicate with the respective main collecting node to which they are assigned; and

in the event of a fault on said main collecting node, the control nodes assigned to it are re-assigned each to the respective additional collecting node.

34. The method of claim 31 further comprising representing said network via a series of coverage equations, each of which defines a sequence of control nodes connected to one another and to a collecting node, and which represent the topological description of said network.

35. The method of claim 31, wherein when a collecting node detects a fault it generates an alarm message which contains as identification number of the recipient the identification number of a collecting node to which said control node is assigned which emits the alarm message and as description of the path, the description of the path contained in at least one message received from said node.

36. The method of claim 31, wherein said collecting nodes perform test cycles on the conditions of the connection line with the control nodes assigned to it to verify the depth to which a message can penetrate along a path that joins a plurality of said control nodes.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the path of a message addressed to a recipient node is determined by the collecting node at least partly on the basis of the conditions of the portion of line that joins said collecting node to said recipient node.

38. The method of claim 23, wherein the path between a transmitter node and a message recipient node is defined by the sequence of identification numbers of all the nodes positioned between the transmitter node and the recipient node.

39. A network for transmission of information between nodes interconnected by said network, wherein said nodes transmit messages using the method according to claim 23.

40. The network of claim 39 wherein the network is an electrical distribution network and said nodes each comprise a modem for transmission and reception of messages via carrier waves on said network.

41. The network of claim 39 further comprising control nodes and collecting nodes, each control node being combined with at least one piece of electrical equipment and controlling at least one operating parameter of said equipment.

42. The network of claim 41, wherein said collecting nodes comprise means for transmitting information received by said collecting nodes.

43. A method for communication between nodes of a network, interconnected by a transmission channel and each identified by a node identification number, in which at least one transmitter node emits at least one message to at least one message recipient node, comprising:

said message includes a description of a path between said transmitter node that emits the message and said message recipient node, said path being defined by the node that emits the message, via a sequence of node identification numbers along said path;

providing a plurality of collecting nodes and a plurality of groups each comprising a series of control nodes, each group being assigned to a respective main collecting node and the main collecting node interrogating via said messages the control nodes assigned thereto to collect information from said control nodes;

each control node of a group assigned to a main collecting node is also assigned to an additional collecting node;

in the absence of faults on the collecting nodes, the control nodes of each group communicate with the respective main collecting node to which they are assigned; and

in the event of a fault on said main collecting node, the control nodes assigned to it are re-assigned each to the respective additional collecting mode.

44. A method for communication between nodes of a network, interconnected by a transmission channel and each identified by a node identification number in which at least one transmitter node emits at least one message to at least one message recipient node, comprising:

said message includes a description of a path between said transmitter node that emits the message and said message recipient node, said path being defined by the node that emits the message, via a sequence of node identification numbers along said path;

said messages comprise control messages of all the nodes along a path between a node emitting the message and a message recipient node; and

said control messages being modified by each node along the path, with the addition of at least one datum relating to a condition of each node along said path.