MULTI-NODE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM AND METHOD OF REQUESTING, REPORTING AND COLLECTING DESTINATION-NODE-BASED MEASUREMENTS AND ROUTE-BASED MEASUREMENTS

• US 20100189044A1
• Filed: 04/05/2010
• Published: 07/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Interdigital Technology Corporation (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Interdigital Technology Corporation (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tomici, John L., Roy, Vincent, Zaki, Maged, Lu, Guang
• Granted Patent: US 8,364,127 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/122 by minimising distances, e.g. by selecting a route with minimum of number of hops
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/22 using selective relaying for reaching a BTS [Base Transceiver Station] or an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

A multi-node communication system and method used to request, report and collect destination-node-based measurements and route-based measurements is disclosed. The communication system may be a mesh network including a plurality of mesh points (MPs). In one embodiment, a destination-node-based measurement request is sent to one or more destination nodes via destination-unicast, destination-multicast, or destination-broadcast, using routes specified via next-hop-unicast, next-hop-multicast, or next-hop-broadcast addressing. In another embodiment, a source node sends a measurement request message to a final destination node, whereby each node along the route individually sends a measurement report message to the source node. Alternatively, measurement results of each node are combined and appended to the measurement request message, and a measurement report message including the combined measurement results is sent to the source node.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting a message in a mesh network, the method comprising:

receiving a message that includes a source address, a destination address, a receiver address field that includes a first receiver address, and a transmitter address field that includes a first transmitter address;

updating the receiver address field in the message with a second receiver address;

updating the transmitter address field in the message with the first receiver address; and

transmitting the message with updated address fields to a next hop address in response to the received message.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the message further comprises a destination count field that includes a number of destinations contained in the message.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the message is transmitted to at least one other intermediate node.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the destination address is a media access control (MAC) address.

5. A mesh point (MP), the MP comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a message that includes a source address, a destination address, a receiver address field that includes a first receiver address, and a transmitter address field that includes a first transmitter address;

a processor configured to update the receiver address field in the message with a second receiver address, and update the transmitter address field in the message with the first receiver address; and

a transmitter configured to transmit the message with updated address fields to a next hop address in response to the received message.

6. The MP of claim 5 wherein the message further includes a destination count field that includes a number of destinations contained in the message.

7. The MP of claim 5 wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit the message to at least one other intermediate node.

8. The MP of claim 5 wherein the destination address is a media access control (MAC) address.