MESH NETWORK CONTROL USING COMMON DESIGNATION WAKE-UP

• US 20090122737A1
• Filed: 01/13/2009
• Published: 05/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: TeraHop Networks Incorporated
• Inventors: Twitchell, Robert W. JR.
• Granted Patent: US 8,223,680 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/311
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0219 where the power saving management affects multiple terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0235 where the received signal is a power saving command
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/002 Mutual synchronization
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/27 Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Each of a plurality of network nodes in an ad hoc mesh network utilizes a data communication device that includes a two-way communications component, comprising a first receiver and transmitter, and a second receiver. The second receiver activates the communications component from a dormant state when it receives a broadcast including a wake-up identifier of the communication device. A method of activating and deactivating a mesh network includes, first, transmitting a broadcast that includes a wake-up identifier such that each second receiver of each communication device identified by the wake-up identifier, upon receipt, activates the communications component of the communication device, which then engages in mesh networking communications, and, second, transmitting a second broadcast including a second identifier such that the communications component of each communication device identified by the second identifier, upon receipt, will cease its mesh networking communications and will return to the dormant state.

Claims

1. In ad hoc mesh networking utilizing a data communication device for each of a plurality of network nodes, the data communication device including both,

a two-way communications component comprising a first receiver and transmitter, and

a second receiver,

wherein the second receiver activates the two-way communications component from a dormant state upon receipt by the second receiver of a wake-up broadcast that includes a wake-up identifier of the data communication device,

a method of activating and deactivating a mesh network for mesh network communications, characterized by,

transmitting a wake-up broadcast that includes a wake-up identifier such that each second receiver of each data communication device identified by the wake-up identifier, upon receiving the wake-up broadcast, will activate the two-way communications component of the data communication device, and thereafter the data communication device will engage in mesh networking communications, and

transmitting a second broadcast that includes a second identifier such that the two-way communications component of each data communication device identified by the second identifier, upon receiving the second broadcast, will cease its mesh networking communications and will return to the dormant state.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second broadcast is transmitted by the first transmitter of the two-way communications component of a data communication device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second receiver of a data communication device is part of a wake-up transceiver of in data communication device, and wherein the second broadcast is transmitted by a second transmitter of the wake-up transceiver.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second broadcast is received by the first receiver of the two-way communications component of a data communication device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second broadcast is received by the second receiver of a data communication device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the second receiver of a data communication device is part of a wake-up transceiver in the data communication device, and wherein the second broadcast is received by the second receiver of the wake-up transceiver.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the two-way communications component of each data communication device is off when in the dormant state.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the second receiver of a data communication device draws substantially less current while listening for a wake-up broadcast than the two-way communications component would draw while listening for a wake-up broadcast.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second receiver of a data communication device draws less current while listening for a wake-up broadcast than the two-way communications component would draw while listening for a wake-up broadcast, the difference in current draw being at least an order of magnitude (such as milliamps versus microamps).

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the second receiver of a data communication device utilizes a stepped wake-up sequence based on at least two criteria, and wherein the last criteria before awakening the two-way communications component comprises identifying a wake-up identifier of the data communication device in the wake-up broadcast.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the second receiver of a data communication device is part of a wake-up transceiver, the wake-up transceiver further comprising a second transmitter of the data communication device that is configured to transmit a wake-up broadcast for receipt by another wake-up receiver of another data communication device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the wake-up identifier represents a node performance characteristic.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the performance characteristic comprises one of the group of bit error rate;

throughput of the node;

strength of the radiofrequency communication link; and

range, determined using values such as Received Signal Strength Indication, or “

RSSI”

.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the mesh network that is activated comprises a subset of nodes out of a plurality of available nodes, the selection of nodes being determined based on the wake-up identifier included in the wake-up broadcast that is transmitted.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein a portion of a time interval T of the mesh network during which mesh networking communications are performed is measured beginning with a time of the wake-up broadcast, whereby all nodes participating in the mesh network are synchronized for mesh communications.

16. In ad hoc mesh networking utilizing a data communication device for each of a plurality of network nodes, the data communication device including both,

a two-way communications component comprising a first receiver and transmitter, and

a second receiver,

wherein the second receiver activates the two-way communications component from a dormant state upon receipt by the second receiver of a wake-up broadcast that includes a wake-up identifier of the data communication device,

a method of activating two mesh networks for independent and separate mesh network communications, characterized by,

transmitting a first wake-up broadcast that includes a first wake-up identifier such that each second receiver of each data communication device identified by the first wake-up identifier, upon receiving the first wake-up broadcast, will activate the two-way communications component of the data communication device, and thereafter the data communication device will engage in mesh networking communications via a first mesh network, and

transmitting a second wake-up broadcast that includes a second wake-up identifier such that each second receiver of each data communication device identified by the second wake-up identifier, upon receiving the second wake-up broadcast, will activate the two-way communications component of the data communication device, and thereafter the data communication device will engage in mesh networking communications via a second mesh network.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the second wake-up broadcast is transmitted after transmitting the first wake-up broadcast such that a portion of a first time interval T₁ of the first mesh network, during which mesh networking communications are performed, does not overlap with a portion of a second time interval T₂ of the second mesh network, during which mesh networking communications are performed.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising transmitting a third broadcast that includes a third identifier such that the two-way communications component of each data communication device identified by the first wake-up identifier, upon receiving the third broadcast, will cease its mesh networking communications and will return to the dormant state.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising transmitting a fourth broadcast that includes a fourth identifier such that the two-way communications component of each data communication device identified by the second wake-up identifier, upon receiving the fourth broadcast, will cease its mesh networking communications and will return to the dormant state.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising transmitting a third broadcast that includes a third identifier such that the two-way communications component of each data communication device identified by either of the first wake-up identifier or the second wake-up identifier, upon receiving the third broadcast, will cease its mesh networking communications and will return to the dormant state.

21. In ad hoc mesh networking utilizing a data communication device for each of a plurality of network nodes, the data communication device including both,

a two-way communications component comprising a first receiver and transmitter, and

a second receiver,

wherein the second receiver activates the two-way communications component from a dormant state upon receipt by the second receiver of a wake-up broadcast that includes a wake-up identifier of the data communication device,

a method of activating a mesh network for mesh network communications, characterized by,

transmitting a wake-up broadcast that includes a wake-up identifier such that each second receiver of each data communication device identified by the wake-up identifier, upon receiving the wake-up broadcast, will activate the two-way communications component of the data communication device, and thereafter the data communication device will engage in mesh networking communications.

22. An ad hoc mesh networking system, comprising:

an ad hoc mesh network utilizing a plurality of data communication devices as nodes of the network;

wherein each data communication device includes both,

a two-way communications component comprising a first receiver and transmitter, and

a second receiver, wherein the second receiver activates the two-way communications component from a dormant state upon receipt by the second receiver of a wake-up broadcast that includes a wake-up identifier of the data communication device; and

wherein a mesh network is activated for mesh network communications by transmitting a wake-up broadcast that includes a wake-up identifier such that each second receiver of each data communication device identified by the wake-up identifier, upon receiving the wake-up broadcast, will activate the two-way communications component of the data communication device, and thereafter the data communication device will engage in mesh networking communications.

23. A data communication device for utilization as a node in an ad hoc mesh network, comprising:

a two-way communications component comprising a first receiver and transmitter; and

a second receiver, wherein the second receiver activates the two-way communications component from a dormant state upon receipt by the second receiver of a wake-up broadcast that includes a wake-up identifier of the data communication device;

wherein a mesh network is activated for mesh network communications by transmitting a wake-up broadcast that includes a wake-up identifier such that each second receiver of each data communication device identified by the wake-up identifier, upon receiving the wake-up broadcast, will activate the two-way communications component of the data communication device, and thereafter the data communication device will engage in mesh networking communications.