Apparatus and method supporting a redundancy-managing interface between wireless and wired networks

• US 20090034441A1
• Filed: 07/31/2007
• Published: 02/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Chernoguzov, Alexander, Budampati, Ramakrishna S., Gonia, Patrick S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,881,253 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/310
• 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 45/24 Multipath
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/243 using M+N parallel active paths
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

A wireless network includes a leaf node, which generates a data message. The data message is routed through infrastructure nodes to a gateway infrastructure node, which is coupled to a wired network. A wireless interface module is also coupled to the wired network and communicates with the gateway infrastructure node. Multiple copies of the data message are created in the wireless network due to redundancy mechanisms supported in the wireless network, such as redundant connectivity and redundant message routing. The multiple copies of the data message are received at the gateway infrastructure node or the wireless interface module, which identifies the copies and communicates a single copy of the data message over the wired network to a destination. In this way, the redundancy mechanisms supported in the wireless network are concealed from wired components coupled to the wired network.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a plurality of data messages, the data messages transmitted over multiple paths in a wireless network;

determining if two or more of the data messages are copies; and

when two or more of the data messages are copies, communicating a single one of the two or more data messages over a wired network.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second data message; and

communicating multiple copies of the second data message for transmission over the wireless network to a single destination.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the second data message is associated with a first class; and

further comprising;

receiving a third data message associated with a second class; and

communicating a single copy of the third data message for transmission to the single destination over the wireless network.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

identifying multiple paths for the multiple copies of the second data message to the single destination.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless network comprises:

gateway infrastructure nodes receiving the data messages directly or indirectly from one or more leaf nodes; and

wireless interface modules receiving the data messages from the gateway infrastructure nodes;

wherein the gateway infrastructure nodes and the wireless interface modules are coupled to the wired network.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the receiving, determining, and communicating steps are performed by at least one of the wireless interface modules.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

receiving the plurality of data messages comprises, at each of the wireless interface modules, receiving the data messages from multiple ones of the gateway infrastructure nodes; and

communicating the single one of the two or more data messages over the wired network is performed by one of the wireless interface modules.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the receiving, determining, and communicating steps are performed by at least one of the gateway infrastructure nodes.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein:

receiving the plurality of data messages comprises, at a first of the gateway infrastructure nodes, receiving the data messages from one of the leaf nodes and a second of the gateway infrastructure nodes; and

communicating the single one of the two or more data messages over the wired network is performed by the first gateway infrastructure node.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless network comprises a network of wireless sensors and actuators in an industrial control and automation system, the industrial control and automation system associated with an industrial process.

11. An apparatus comprising:

at least one interface configured to communicate over a wired network; and

a controller configured to;

receive a plurality of data messages that are transmitted over multiple paths in a wireless network;

determine if two or more of the data messages are copies; and

when two or more of the data messages are copies, provide a single one of two or more data messages to the at least one interface for transmission over the wired network.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the controller is further configured to receive a second data message and to cause the at least one interface to transmit multiple copies of the second data message for transmission over the wireless network to a single destination.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein:

the second data message is associated with a first class; and

the controller is further configured to receive a third data message associated with a second class and to cause the at least one interface to transmit a single copy of the third data message for transmission to the single destination over the wireless network.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to identify multiple paths for the multiple copies of the second data message to the single destination.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the wireless network comprises:

gateway infrastructure nodes configured to receive the data messages directly or indirectly from one or more leaf nodes; and

wireless interface modules configured to receive the data messages from the gateway infrastructure nodes;

wherein the gateway infrastructure nodes and the wireless interface modules are coupled to the wired network.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the apparatus comprises one of the wireless interface modules.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein:

the controller is configured to receive the plurality of data messages from multiple ones of the gateway infrastructure nodes; and

the at least one interface is configured to communicate with the gateway infrastructure nodes over the wired network.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the apparatus comprises one of the gateway infrastructure nodes.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein:

the controller is configured to receive the plurality of data messages from one of the leaf nodes and a second of the gateway infrastructure nodes; and

the at least one interface is configured to communicate with the second gateway infrastructure node and the wireless interface modules over the wired network.

20. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein:

the wireless network comprises a network of wireless sensors and actuators in an industrial control and automation system, the industrial control and automation system associated with an industrial process; and

the at least one interface is configured to communicate over multiple wired networks in the industrial control and automation system.

21. A computer program embodied on a computer readable medium and comprising computer readable program code for:

receiving a plurality of data messages, the data messages transmitted over multiple paths in a wireless network;

determining if two or more of the data messages are copies; and

when two or more of the data messages are copies, communicating a single one of the two or more data messages over a wired network.

22. The computer program of claim 21, further comprising computer readable program code for:

receiving a second data message; and

communicating multiple copies of the second data message for transmission over the wireless network to a single destination.