NETWORK COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS AND METHODS

• US 20100061292A1
• Filed: 09/09/2008
• Published: 03/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Charles Stark Draper Laboratory Incorporated
• Inventors: Weinstein, William W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,730,863 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/315
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/14 Relay systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/155 Ground-based stations H04B7/204 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2606 Arrangements for base station coverage control, e.g. by using relays in tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0097 Relays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/26 Cell enhancers or enhancement, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

Distributing a message in a network may include transmitting, via a contention-free access channel, the message from an originating node to a first set of nodes neighboring the originating node, and designating a subset of the first set of nodes as relay nodes. A first one of the relay nodes may then relay, via the contention-free access channel, the message to a second set of nodes neighboring the first relay node.

Claims

1. A method of distributing messages in a first network, the method comprising:

transmitting, via a contention-free access channel, a message from an originating node to a first set of nodes neighboring the originating node;

designating a subset of the first set of nodes as relay nodes; and

relaying, via the contention-free access channel, the message by a first one of the relay nodes to a second set of nodes neighboring the first relay node.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising transmitting, from a node in the first set of nodes and for the originating node, an acknowledgement of the message.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising retransmitting the message from the originating node to the first set of nodes if an acknowledgement from each of the nodes in the first set of nodes is not received at the originating node.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising retransmitting the message from the originating node to the first set of nodes if the relayed message is not received at the originating node.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the contention-free access channel is selected from the group consisting of a time-division multiple-access channel, a frequency-division multiple-access channel, a spatial-division multiple-access channel, and an orthogonal frequency-division multiple-access channel.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is at least one of a node location message, a node status message, a network status message, or an operation change message.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is encrypted.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network comprises the originating node, the first set of nodes, and the second set of nodes.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first network is selected from the group consisting of a mobile ad hoc network and a broadcast local area network.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising managing the first network with a master node.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising managing the first network with a deputy node when the master node fails to communicate with other nodes in the first network.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising communicating with a second network through a gateway node in the first network.

13. The method of claim 8 further comprising removing from the first network a node in the first set of nodes.

14. A network for distributing messages, comprising:

a first set of nodes, in which a subset thereof are designated as relay nodes; and

an originating node for transmitting, via a contention-free access channel, a message to the first set of nodes, the first set of nodes neighboring the originating node,

wherein a first one of the relay nodes is for relaying, via the contention-free access channel, the message to a second set of nodes neighboring the first relay node.

15. The network of claim 14, wherein a node in the first set of nodes is configured to transmit an acknowledgement of the message for the originating node.

16. The network of claim 14, wherein the originating node is further configured to retransmit the message to the first set of nodes if an acknowledgement from each node in the first set of nodes is not received at the originating node.

17. The network of claim 14, wherein the originating node is further configured to retransmit the message to the first set of nodes if the relayed message is not received at the originating node.

18. The network of claim 14, wherein the contention-free access channel is selected from the group consisting of a time-division multiple-access channel, a frequency-division multiple-access channel, a spatial-division multiple-access channel, and an orthogonal frequency-division multiple-access channel.

19. The network of claim 14, wherein the message is at least one of a node location message, a node status message, a network status message, or an operation change message.

20. The network of claim 14, wherein the message is encrypted.

21. The network of claim 14, wherein the network is selected from the group consisting of a mobile ad hoc network and a broadcast local area network.

22. The network of claim 14 further comprising a master node for managing the network.

23. The network of claim 22 further comprising a deputy node for managing the network if the master node fails to communicate with other nodes in the network.

24. The network of claim 14 further comprising a gateway node for communicating with a second network.

25. A method of registering a node in a network, the method comprising:

transmitting a registration request, using a designated slot in a contention-free access channel, from a registering node to a master node within a network;

receiving at the registering node a temporary node-identifier and an identification of a temporary slot in the contention-free access channel; and

transmitting information from the registering node to the master node, using the temporary node-identifier and the temporary slot, to identify the registering node to the master node.

26-38. -38. (canceled)

39. A system for registering a node in a network, comprising:

a master node; and

a registering node for i) transmitting, using a designated slot in a contention-free access channel, a registration request to the master node, ii) receiving a temporary node-identifier and an identification of a temporary slot in the contention-free access channel, and iii) transmitting information to the master node, using the temporary node-identifier and temporary slot, to identify the registering node to the master node.

40-52. -52. (canceled)

53. A method for resynchronizing a node with a network, the method comprising:

receiving at a resynchronizing node, via a contention-free access channel, a first message from a supplier node within the network;

transmitting from the resynchronizing node to the supplier node, after receiving the first message, a resynchronization request comprising a reference to a point in time at which the resynchronizing node lost communication with the network; and

receiving at the resynchronizing node from the supplier node, based on the reference, a first missed message.

54-58. -58. (canceled)