SYSTEMS, METHODS AND COMPUTER PRODUCTS FOR PROVIDING A GRADIENT DRIVEN MESH-NETWORK ESTABLISHMENT

• US 20090059843A1
• Filed: 08/31/2007
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Nidd, Michael E., Husemann, Dirk, Hermann, Reto J., Dolivo, Francois B., Binding, Carl
• Granted Patent: US 7,826,412 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0219 where the power saving management affects multiple terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Systems, methods and computer products for establishing a mesh-network consisting of wireless personal area network (WPAN) having a large number of nodes. Exemplary embodiments include a gradient-driven mesh-network establishment method, including switching on a plurality of nodes in a vicinity of the wireless personal area network, detecting an acknowledgment signal via a wireless personal area network signal, querying for at least one or a resource and a physical quantity, selecting a subset of the plurality of nodes and instructing the subset of the plurality of nodes to send out a low power radio transceiver DISCOVER squirt signal to a neighborhood associated with the subset of the plurality of nodes, wherein nodes exclusive of the subset of the plurality of nodes turn off in response to an expiration of a time-out period.

Claims

1. In a wireless personal area network, a gradient-driven mesh-network establishment method, consisting of:

switching on a plurality of nodes in a vicinity of the wireless personal area network;

detecting an acknowledgment signal via a wireless personal area network signal;

querying for at least one of a resource and a physical quantity;

selecting a subset of the plurality of nodes; and

instructing the subset of the plurality of nodes to send out a low power radio transceiver DISCOVER squirt signal to a neighborhood associated with the subset of the plurality of nodes, wherein nodes exclusive of the subset of the plurality of nodes turn off in response to an expiration of a time-out period,

wherein, on receipt of the DISCOVER squirt, if the plurality of nodes do not power-up then the wireless personal area network is shut down.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein each node of the plurality of nodes consists of:

a central processing unit;

a random access memory coupled to the central processing unit;

a non-volatile memory coupled to the central processing unit;

a wireless personal area network modem coupled to the central processing unit;

a low power radio transceiver coupled to the central processing unit; and

at least one sensor coupled to the central processing unit.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2 wherein each node of the plurality of nodes established a mesh-network for at least one of finding a resource and service and following a gradient.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein each node of the plurality of nodes joins the wireless personal area network and reports to an initiating node to identify each node of the plurality of nodes and to identify the node from which each node of the plurality of nodes received the LPR data squirt.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4 further consisting of terminating querying for at least one or a resource and a physical quality in response to a respective node discovering a particular at least one of a resource and physical quantity.

6. A gradient-driven mesh-network establishment system, comprising:

a plurality of nodes in a wireless personal area network, each node of the plurality of nodes comprising;

a central processing unit;

a random access memory coupled to the central processing unit;

a non-volatile memory coupled to the central processing unit;

a wireless personal area network modem coupled to the central processing unit;

a low power radio transceiver coupled to the central processing unit; and

at least one sensor coupled to the central processing unit;

a process residing on the central processing unit, the process having instructions for;

switching on a plurality of nodes in a vicinity of the wireless personal area network;

detecting an acknowledgment signal via a wireless network signal;

querying for at least one of a resource and a physical quantity;

selecting a subset of the plurality of nodes;

instructing the subset of the plurality of nodes to send out a low power radio transceiver DISCOVER squirt signal to a neighborhood associated with the subset of the plurality of nodes, wherein nodes exclusive of the subset of the plurality of nodes turn off in response to an expiration of a time-out period,

wherein, on receipt of the DISCOVER squirt, if the plurality of nodes do not power-up then the wireless personal area network is shut down; and

terminating querying for at least one or a resource and a physical quality in response to a respective node discovering a particular at least one of resource and physical quantity,

wherein each node of the plurality of nodes established a mesh-network for at least one of finding a resource and service and following a gradient,

wherein each node of the plurality of nodes joins the wireless personal area network and reports to an initiating node to identify each node of the plurality of nodes and to identify the node from which each node of the plurality of nodes received the LPR data squirt.