DATA BROADCASTING WITH A PREPARE-TO-BROADCAST MESSAGE

• US 20140321384A1
• Filed: 07/03/2014
• Published: 10/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Itron Global Sarl (Itron, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Itron, Inc.
• Inventors: Nguyen, Viet-Hung, Bartier, Jerome, Monier, Fabrice, Mainaud, Bastien
• Granted Patent: US 10,375,672 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/713 using frequency hopping
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services

Abstract

Techniques for broadcasting data in a multi-channel network having a control channel and multiple data channels are described. A node wishing to broadcast data may determine a particular data channel from among the multiple data channels, a modulation technique, and a data rate to be utilized to broadcast the data. The broadcasting node may transmit a message over the control channel indicating that the data will be broadcast on the particular data channel using the modulation technique and at the determined data rate. The broadcasting node and a node wishing to receive the data may switch to the particular data channel. The broadcast node may broadcast the data over the particular data channel, while the receiving node may receive the data. After broadcasting the data or a predetermined time period has expired, the broadcasting node and receiving node may switch to the control channel.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A method comprising:

determining a particular data channel, from a plurality of data channels, for broadcasting data;

broadcasting a prepare-to-broadcast message via a control channel, the prepare-to-broadcast message indicating that the data will be broadcast on the particular data channel;

switching to the particular data channel;

broadcasting the data via the particular data channel without having received a communication from a neighboring node that indicates an availability of the neighboring node to receive the data; and

switching to the control channel after the data has been broadcast.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein:

the broadcasting the data includes broadcasting the data to a plurality of nodes; and

the switching to the control channel includes switching to the control channel without receiving an acknowledgement message from any of the plurality of nodes.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the particular data channel is determined by a media access control layer.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein:

the control channel is located on a first channel of a multi-channel network when the prepare-to-broadcast message is broadcast via the control channel; and

the method further comprises;

frequency hopping the control channel from the first channel to a second channel of the multi-channel network; and

rebroadcasting the prepare-to-broadcast message via the control channel which is located on the second channel.

25. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the method of claim 21.

26. A method comprising:

receiving a message from a neighboring node via a control channel, the message indicating that data will be broadcast via a particular data channel of a plurality of data channels;

without sending a communication to the neighboring node indicating an availability to receive the data;

switching to the particular data channel; and

listening for a broadcast of the data from the neighboring node via the particular data channel; and

switching to the control channel after the data has been received or a predetermined time period has expired.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the listening for the broadcast of the data includes listening for a broadcast of the data after a predetermined time interval has expired since the message was received via the control channel, the predetermined time interval comprising a short inter-frame space.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

determining that the data has not been previously received;

wherein the switching to the particular data channel is performed in response to determining that the data has not been previously received.

29. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

receiving the data via the particular data channel after switching to the particular data channel;

wherein the switching to the control channel includes switching to the control channel after receiving the data via the particular data channel.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein the message indicates a modulation technique that will be used to broadcast the data and a data rate at which the data will be broadcast.

31. The method of claim 26, wherein the data includes a greater number of bits or bytes than the message.

32. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing executable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the method of claim 26.

33. A network computing device comprising:

one or more processors;

memory communicatively coupled to the one or more processors; and

one or more modules stored in the memory and executable by the one or more processors to perform acts including;

identifying a particular data channel from a plurality of data channels for broadcasting data;

transmitting a message indicating that data will be broadcast via the particular data channel of the plurality of data channels; and

broadcasting the data via the particular data channel without having received a communication from a neighboring node that indicates an availability of the neighboring node to receive the data.

34. The network computing device of claim 33, wherein the acts further include:

confirming that a number of bits or bytes of the data is greater than a number of bits or bytes of the message;

wherein the message is transmitted in response to confirming that the number of bits or bytes of the data is greater than the number of bits or bytes of the message.

35. The network computing device of claim 33, wherein the communication from the neighboring node comprises a clear-to-send message.

36. The network computing device of claim 33, wherein the acts further include:

determining a modulation technique to utilize to broadcast the data via the particular data channel, the determined modulation technique provides a longest communication range from among a plurality of modulation techniques that are available to nodes located within a predetermined proximity to the network computing device.

37. The network computing device of claim 33, wherein the acts further include:

retransmitting the message via the control channel a predetermined number of times; and

rebroadcasting the data via the particular data channel after each retransmission of the message.

38. The network computing device of claim 33, wherein the acts further include:

redefining the control channel from a first channel, where the control channel is located when broadcasting the data, to a second channel; and

retransmitting the message via the control channel when the control channel is redefined to the second channel.

39. The network computing device of claim 33, further comprising:

a metrology module stored in the memory and executable by the one or more processors to collect the data for broadcasting, the data comprising consumption data of a resource.

40. The network computing device of claim 33, wherein the network computing device comprises at least one of a utility meter, a control device, a sensor, a transformer, a router, a server, a relay, a switch, or a valve.