Method and system of routing in a utility smart-grid network

• US 20090034418A1
• Filed: 08/01/2007
• Published: 02/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Itron Networked Solutions, Inc. (Itron, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Silver Spring Networks, Inc. (Itron, Inc.)
• Inventors: Vaswani, Raj, Flammer, George III
• Granted Patent: US 7,961,740 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/248 Connectivity information update

Abstract

A wireless network has a server that includes a server controller that controls the receipt and transmission of packets via a server radio. The server controller selects a route to nodes in the wireless network, and provides communication between the wireless network and at least one other network. A plurality of nodes in the wireless network include a node controller that controls the receipt and transmission of packets via a node radio, and selects a route to the server. A route included in a transmitted packet is selected as a preferred route based upon lowest path cost. The lowest path cost is determined on the basis of ambient noise level information associated with links along a given path in the wireless utility network.

Claims

1. A method of routing packets from a gateway to nodes in a wireless utility network, comprising:

receiving a destination address associated with a node in a wireless utility network at a gateway in the wireless utility network, the gateway providing communication between the wireless utility network and at least one other network;

receiving a packet for transmission to the destination address;

determining a transmission route to the destination address according to lowest path cost; and

transmitting the packet to the destination address according to the determined transmission route,

wherein the lowest path cost is determined based upon ambient noise level information associated with links along a given path in the wireless utility network.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

collecting the ambient noise level information used in determining path cost from packets received at the gateway from nodes in the wireless utility network.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

determining whether received ambient noise level information is more recent than existing ambient noise level information for a given link in the wireless utility network, and

in the event the determination is made that the received ambient noise level information is more recent for the given link in the wireless utility network, using the received ambient noise level information in determining path cost from packets received at the gateway from nodes in the wireless utility network.

4. A method of routing packets from a gateway to nodes in a wireless utility network, comprising:

receiving a destination address associated with a node in a wireless utility network at a gateway in the wireless utility network, the gateway providing communication between the wireless utility network and at least one other network;

receiving a packet for transmission to the destination address;

determining a transmission route to the destination address according to lowest path cost; and

transmitting the packet to the destination address according to the determined transmission route,

wherein the node battery charge impact is determined based upon node battery usage information for nodes associated with links along a given path in the wireless utility network.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

collecting the node battery usage information used in determining battery charge impact from packets received at the gateway from nodes in the wireless utility network.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining whether received node battery usage information is more recent than existing node battery usage information for a given link in the wireless utility network, and

in the event the determination is made that the received node battery usage information is more recent for the given link in the wireless utility network, using the received node battery usage information in determining path cost from packets received at the gateway from nodes in the wireless utility network.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the battery charge impact is based upon reducing the batter usage of batteries below a preset threshold.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the battery charge impact is based upon reducing the batter usage of batteries with the lowest level of remaining charge.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the battery charge impact is based upon reducing the usage of battery powered nodes in favor of using constant powered nodes.

10. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

transmitting the collected node battery usage information to other nodes in the wireless utility network for use in determining routing paths of packets in the wireless utility network.

11. The method of claim 4m further comprising:

sending a node battery usage information request to at least one node in the wireless utility network; and

receiving responses to the node battery usage information request including node battery usage information using in determining battery charge impact from packets received at the gateway from nodes in the wireless utility network.

12. A wireless network, comprising

at least one server including a server controller and a radio for communicating in a wireless network, wherein the server controller controls the receipt and transmission of packets via the server radio, and wherein the server controller may select a route to nodes in the wireless network, the server providing communication between the wireless network and at least one other network;

a plurality of nodes in the wireless network including a node controller and a node radio, wherein the node controller controls the receipt and transmission of packets via the node radio, and wherein the node controller may select a route to the at least one server;

wherein a packet transmitted from one utility node in the wireless utility network to the server in the wireless utility network is transmitted according to a route included in the transmitted packet,

wherein the route included in a transmitted packet is selected as a preferred route based upon lowest path cost, wherein the lowest path cost is determined based upon ambient noise level information associated with links along a given path in the wireless utility network, and

wherein the selected preferred route is included in the packet which is transmitted to another node in the utility network according to the selected preferred route.

13. The wireless network of claim 12, wherein the server collects the ambient noise level information used in determining path cost from packets received at the gateway from nodes in the wireless utility network.

14. The wireless network of claim 13, wherein the server determines whether received ambient noise level information is more recent than existing ambient noise level information for a given link in the wireless utility network, and in the event the determination is made that the received ambient noise level information is more recent for the given link in the wireless utility network, the server uses the received ambient noise level information in determining path cost from packets received at the gateway from nodes in the wireless utility network.

15. A wireless network, comprising

at least one server including a server controller and a radio for communicating in a wireless network, wherein the server controller controls the receipt and transmission of packets via the server radio, and wherein the server controller may select a route to nodes in the wireless network, the server providing communication between the wireless network and at least one other network;

a plurality of nodes in the wireless network including a node controller and a node radio, wherein the node controller controls the receipt and transmission of packets via the node radio, and wherein the node controller may select a route to the at least one server;

wherein a packet transmitted from one utility node in the wireless utility network to the server in the wireless utility network is transmitted according to a route included in the transmitted packet,

wherein the route included in a transmitted packet is selected as a preferred route based upon node battery charge impact, wherein node battery charge impact is determined based upon node battery usage information for nodes associated with links along a given path in the wireless utility network, and

wherein the selected preferred route is included in the packet which is transmitted to another node in the utility network according to the selected preferred route.

16. The wireless network of claim 15, wherein the server collects the node battery usage information used in determining battery charge impact from packets received at the gateway from nodes in the wireless utility network.

17. The wireless network of claim 15, wherein the battery charge impact is based upon reducing the batter usage of batteries below a preset threshold.

18. The wireless network of claim 15, wherein the battery charge impact is based upon reducing the batter usage of batteries with the lowest level of remaining charge.

19. The wireless network of claim 15, wherein the battery charge impact is based upon reducing the usage of battery powered nodes in favor of using constant powered nodes.

20. The wireless network of claim 16, wherein the server transmits the collected node battery usage information to other nodes in the wireless utility network for use in determining routing paths of packets in the wireless utility network.