AVOIDANCE OF NETWORK INTERFERENCE BETWEEN THERMOSTATS IN A PLURALITY OF PROXIMATE WIRELESS MESH NETWORKS

• US 20140112331A1
• Filed: 10/21/2013
• Published: 04/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Copeland Canada Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Verdant Environmental Technologies Inc. (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Rosen, Howard
• Granted Patent: US 9,554,345 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/350
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0015 one node acting as a reference for the others
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 using the level of interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

An apparatus and/or method is described providing for expansion of the number of nodes in an HVAC thermostat control network utilizing a wireless mesh network beyond the limits of a single mesh network by utilizing a synchronization signal to offset periods of high wireless mesh network traffic.

Claims

1. An energy management system incorporating a plurality of thermostats, each thermostat incorporating apparatus for functioning as a wireless mesh network node, the energy management system comprising:

A) a first wireless mesh network;

B) a second wireless mesh network;

C) a first group of the plurality of thermostats incorporated as first thermostat nodes in the first wireless mesh network;

D) a second group of the plurality of thermostats incorporated as second thermostat nodes in the second wireless mesh network;

E) a first root node serving as a controller for the first mesh network;

F) a second root node serving as a controller for the second mesh network;

G) the first root node operatively coupled to an internet server, the internet server providing time of day data to the first root node;

H) the second root node also operatively coupled to the internet server, the internet server also providing the time of day data to the second root node;

I) the first root node transmitting a first synchronization signal to the first group of thermostat nodes in the first wireless mesh network;

J) the second root node transmitting a second synchronization signal to the second group of thermostat nodes in the second wireless mesh network;

K) the first and second root nodes utilizing the first and second synchronization signals respectively so as to schedule a period for transmission of heavy wireless mesh network traffic on the first wireless mesh network, and a period for transmission of heavy wireless mesh network traffic on the second wireless mesh networks, such that the first and second periods for transmission of heavy wireless mesh network traffic on the first and second wireless mesh networks are offset from each so as to reduce interference between the first and second wireless mesh networks.

2. An energy management system incorporating a plurality of thermostats, each thermostat incorporating apparatus for functioning as a wireless mesh network node, the energy management system comprising:

A) a first wireless mesh network;

B) a second wireless mesh network;

C) a first group of the plurality of thermostats incorporated as first thermostat nodes in the first wireless mesh network;

D) a second group of the plurality of thermostats incorporated as second thermostat nodes in the second wireless mesh network;

E) a first root node serving as a controller for the first mesh network;

F) a second root node serving as a controller for the second mesh network;

G) the first root node operatively coupled to an external time source, the external time source providing time of day data to the first root node;

H) the second root node also operatively coupled to the external time source, the external time source also providing the time of day data to the second root node; and

,

J) the first and second root nodes utilizing the time of day data so as to schedule a period for transmission of heavy wireless mesh network traffic on the first and a period for transmission of heavy wireless mesh network traffic on the second wireless mesh networks with the periods for transmission of the first and second wireless mesh network offset from each so as to reduce interference between the first and second wireless mesh networks.

3. An energy management system incorporating a plurality of thermostats, each thermostat incorporating apparatus for functioning as a wireless mesh network node, the energy management system comprising:

A) a first wireless mesh network;

B) a second wireless mesh network;

C) a first group of the plurality of thermostats incorporated as first thermostat nodes in the first wireless mesh network;

D) a second group of the plurality of thermostats incorporated as second thermostat nodes in the second wireless mesh network;

E) a first root node serving as a controller for the first mesh network;

F) a second root node serving as a controller for the second mesh network;

G) a synchronization apparatus providing a periodic synchronization signal;

G) the first root node operatively coupled to the synchronization apparatus and receiving the periodic synchronization signal;

H) the second root node also operatively coupled to the synchronization apparatus and receiving the periodic synchronization signal;

J) the first and second root nodes utilizing the periodic synchronization signal so as to schedule a period for transmission of heavy wireless mesh network traffic on the first and a period for transmission of heavy wireless mesh network traffic on the second wireless mesh networks with the periods for transmission of the first and second wireless mesh network offset from each so as to reduce interference between the first and second wireless mesh networks.

4. The energy management system of claim 3 with the thermostats and the root nodes programmed or configured with an identifier common to each wireless mesh network so as to determine which of the first and second mesh networks to which they belong.