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

• US 20090034419A1
• 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 8,279,870 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/238
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 2204/47 Methods for determining the topology or arrangement of meters in a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2809 indicating that an appliance service is present in a home automation network monitoring functionality H04L43/0817; discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services, H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/124 using a combination of metrics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/34 Source routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/10 based on available power or energy
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/24 Connectivity information management, e.g. connectivity discovery or connectivity update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/246 Connectivity information discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/248 Connectivity information update
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/20 End-user application control systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/30 Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading

Abstract

A wireless utility network contains a plurality of utility nodes that communicate within a wireless utility network. A gateway to the wireless utility network communicates with the utility nodes in the wireless utility network, and connects the wireless utility network to at least one other network. A packet is transmitted from one utility node to another utility node according to a route included in the transmitted packet. The route included in the transmitted packet is updated with received network information to determine an updated path cost of the included route and compared to alternate routes to select a preferred route based upon path cost. The selected preferred route is included in the packet and the packet is transmitted to another node according to the selected preferred route.

Claims

1. A method of routing comprising:

receiving updated link information from at least one other node in a wireless utility network;

receiving a packet from a node in the wireless utility network, the packet including a route to a destination address, the route specifying a path through one or more nodes in the wireless utility network;

determining whether there is an alternate route to the destination address;

in the event of the determination of at least one alternate route to the destination address, comparing the at least one alternate route to the route included in the packet to determine a preferred route;

in the event the preferred route is the at least one alternate route, replacing the route included in the packet with the preferred route; and

transmitting the packet according the to included route,

wherein the determination of the preferred route includes the received updated link information obtained by the utility node from at least one neighboring utility node, and wherein the obtained information is used to determine an updated path cost of the route included in the packet for comparison to determine the preferred route.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the received link cost information used to update path cost specifies one of:

least possible number of hops, most robust hops, lowest traffic hops, or fastest hops.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the received link cost information specifies link cost for at least one link in the wireless utility network.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the route included in the received packet was determined by a gateway associated with the wireless utility network.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein path cost is based upon a combination of at least one of:

least possible number of hops, most robust hops, lowest traffic hops, or fastest hops, links with low link costs.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the received link cost information is retrieved from packets received by the utility node for forwarding to another node in the wireless utility network.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the received link cost information is received in response to at least one request for information of neighboring utility nodes.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

transmitting the selected route to at least one other node in the wireless utility network.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein in the event the selected route is the route included in the packet prior to transmission, transmitting the selected route to at least one other node in the wireless utility network includes transmitting the updated path cost for the selected route.

10. A wireless utility network, comprising:

a plurality of utility nodes arranged to communicate within a wireless utility network; and

at least one gateway to the wireless utility network arranged to communicate with at least one of the utility nodes in the wireless utility network, the at least one gateway connecting the wireless utility network to at least one other network;

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

wherein the route included in the transmitted packet is updated with received network information to determine an updated path cost of the included route and compared to alternate routes to select a preferred route based upon path cost, and

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

11. The wireless utility network of claim 10, wherein the received link cost information used to update path cost specifies one of:

least possible number of hops, most robust hops, lowest traffic hops, or fastest hops.

12. The wireless utility network of claim 10, wherein the received link cost information is retrieved from packets received by the utility node for forwarding to another node in the wireless utility network.

13. The wireless utility network of claim 10, wherein the received link cost information is received in response to at least one request for information of neighboring utility nodes.

14. The wireless utility network of claim 10, further comprising:

transmitting the selected route to at least one other node in the wireless utility network.

15. The wireless utility network of claim 14, wherein in the event the selected route is the route included in the packet prior to transmission, transmitting the selected route to at least one other node in the wireless utility network includes transmitting the updated path cost for the selected route.

16. 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;

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 updated with received network information to determine an updated path cost of the included route and compared to alternate routes to select a preferred route based upon path cost, 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.

17. The wireless network of claim 16, wherein inclusion of the selected route replaces the route included in a transmitted packet.

18. The wireless network of claim 16, wherein the received link cost information used to update path cost specifies one of:

least possible number of hops, most robust hops, lowest traffic hops, or fastest hops.

19. The wireless network of claim 16, wherein path cost is based upon a combination of at least one of:

least possible number of hops, most robust hops, lowest traffic hops, or fastest hops.

20. The wireless network of claim 16, wherein the received link cost information is retrieved from packets received by the utility node for forwarding to another node in the wireless utility network.

21. The wireless network of claim 16, wherein the received link cost information is received in response to at least one request for information of neighboring utility nodes.

22. The wireless network of claim 16, wherein the selected preferred route is transmitted to at least one other node in the wireless utility network.

23. The wireless network of claim 22, wherein in the event the selected preferred route is the route included in the packet prior to transmission, transmitting the selected route to at least one other node in the wireless utility network includes transmitting the updated path cost for the selected route.

24. The wireless network of claim 23, wherein the server receiving a packet from a node examines the packet to retrieve updated path cost information, and wherein the updated path cost information is used by the server controller in route selection.

25. The wireless network of claim 24, wherein the server calculates the path cost of a route based on at least one of:

least possible number of hops, most robust hops, lowest traffic hops, or fastest hops.