INTELLIGENT ROUTER FOR WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORK

• US 20100226259A1
• Filed: 03/03/2009
• Published: 09/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bosch Security Systems Incorporated (Robert Bosch GmbH), Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Desmond, Leonard, Lascari, Lance, Parker, Pat, Wager, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 7,995,487 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/242
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1803 Stop-and-wait protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/20 using signal quality detector
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0097 Relays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0681 Configuration of triggering conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/59 Providing operational support to end devices by off-loading in the network or by emulation, e.g. when they are unavailable
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

Routing packets in a wireless security system. The system includes a network hub that wirelessly sends and receives packets, at least one sensor that wirelessly sends and receives packets to and from the network hub, and a packet router that monitors the packet communications between the network hub and the at least one sensor. The packet router determines when a communication failure occurs, and the packet router is configured to send a first message packet to the network hub if a first type of communication failure occurs and a second message packet to the at least one sensor if a second type of communication failure occurs.

Claims

1. A wireless security system, the system comprising:

a network hub that wirelessly sends and receives message packets;

at least one sensor that wirelessly sends and receives message packets to and from the network hub; and

a packet router that monitors packet communications between the network hub and the at least one sensor and determines when a communication failure occurs, the packet router configured to send

a first message packet to the network hub if a first type of communication failure occurs; and

a second message packet to the at least one sensor if a second type of communication failure occurs.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first message packet and the second message packet are not modified by the packet router and remain in the original form as detected by the packet router.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the packet router is further configured to send

a first acknowledgement packet to the at least one sensor, if the first type of communication failure occurs;

and

a second acknowledgement packet to the network hub, if a second type of communication failure occurs.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein packet router determines when a communication failure occurs by detecting a plurality of failed communications of the packet.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the packet contains an identification code corresponding to the receiving device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the packet router operates transparently within the network and the network hub and the at least one sensor has no knowledge of the packet router.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the packet router repackages the message to include an identification code of the packet router.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the network hub and the at least one sensor contain additional software to process message packets that contain the identification code of the packet router.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the packet router is a first packet router and wherein the system further comprises a second packet router that monitors the packet communications between the network hub and the at least one sensor and determines when a communication failure occurs, the second packet router configured to send

a third message packet to the network hub if the first communication failure occurs;

and

a fourth message packet to the at least one sensor if the second communication failure occurs.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the first packet router monitors the packet communication within a first perimeter and the second packet router monitors the packet communication within a second perimeter.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the first perimeter does not substantially overlap the second perimeter.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the first perimeter overlaps the second perimeter and wherein the network hub and the at least one sensor are further operable to filter the received packets in response to receipt of receiving the same message from the first packet router and the second packet router.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the packets are communicated using radio frequency channels.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the first packet router monitors the packet communications in a first set of specified radio frequency channels and the second packet router monitors the packet communications in a second set of specified radio frequency channels.

15. A method for routing packets in a wireless security system, the method comprising:

monitoring packet communications between a first device and a second device;

detecting a failed communication of a first message packet;

identifying one of the first device and the second device as a receiving device intended to receive the first message packet; and

transmitting a second message packet to the receiving device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first message packet and the second message packet are substantially the same message packet.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein detecting a failed communication further comprises determining the number of failed transmissions of the first message packet and assuming a failed communication based on the number of failed transmissions.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein monitoring packet communications further includes monitoring a set of specified radio frequency channels.

19. The method of claim 15, further including repackaging the first message packet into the second message packet to include an identification code corresponding to the packet router.

20. A method for routing packets in a wireless security system, the method comprising:

monitoring packet communications between a plurality of devices;

detecting a failed communication of a message packet;

identifying a first device responsible for sending the message packet;

identifying a second device intended to receive the message packet;

forwarding the message packet to the second device;

transmitting a first acknowledgement packet to the first device;

repackaging the message packet into a second message packet;

transmitting the second message packet to the second device; and

receiving a second acknowledgement packet from the receiving device.