System for Message Acknowledgement and Data Collection in Wireless Mesh Networks

• US 20150055498A1
• Filed: 08/19/2014
• Published: 02/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IQRF Tech s.r.o.
• Original Assignee: MICRORISC s.r.o.
• Inventors: Sulc, Vladimir
• Granted Patent: US 9,615,308 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/122 by minimising distances, e.g. by selecting a route with minimum of number of hops
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/32 Flooding denial of service attacks H04L63/1458
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0055 Physical resource allocation for ACK/NACK for physical mapping arrangements in ARQ protocols H04L1/1861
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• 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 40/20 based on geographic position or location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/0015 one node acting as a reference for the others
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A slave communication device includes a memory and a processor for operation within a wireless mesh network of communication devices including a control communication device. The memory stores a virtual routing identifier assigned to the slave communication device in response to increasing range from the control communication device. The processor, in response to receiving an initiation message from a control communication device, initiates data collection from said slave communication device synchronised relative to the start of the initiation message frame by, cumulatively setting bits in a first acknowledgement message in response to content of a second acknowledgement message received from another slave communication device. The first acknowledgement message being synchronized with start of the initiation message frame and the processor initiates communication of the first acknowledgement message to a destination in a time slot selected in response to the assigned virtual routing identifier.

Claims

1. In a wireless mesh network of communication devices using packet message transmission including a plurality of slave communication devices and at least one control communication device, a slave communication device comprising:

a memory storing a virtual routing identifier assigned to said slave communication device in response to increasing range from a control communication device, said virtual routing identifier reflecting a distance of the slave communication device from said control communication device expressed by a number of routings; and

a processor configured to, in response to receiving an initiation message from said control communication device, initiate data collection from said slave communication device synchronised relative to the start of the initiation message frame by,

cumulatively setting bits in a first acknowledgement message in response to content of a second acknowledgement message received from another slave communication device of said plurality of slave communication devices, said first acknowledgement message being synchronized with start of said initiation message frame and

initiating communication of said first acknowledgement message to a destination in a time slot selected in response to the assigned virtual routing identifier.

2. The slave communication device according to claim 1, wherein

said processor accumulates data from a plurality of slave communication devices in time slots of acknowledgement messages and

cumulatively sets bits in said first acknowledgement message in response to the accumulated data.

3. The slave communication device according to claim 2, wherein

said processor cumulatively sets bits in said first acknowledgement message in response to data derived from operation of said slave communication device as well as accumulated data from said plurality of slave communication devices.

4. The slave communication device according to claim 1, wherein

said initiation message initiates data collection from said plurality of slave communication devices.

5. The slave communication device according to claim 1, wherein

said initiation message initiates data collection, from said plurality of slave communication devices in return messages, by said control communication device using directional flooding.

6. The slave communication device according to claim 1, wherein

said processor iteratively accumulates data from a plurality of slave communication devices in time slots of a plurality of acknowledgement messages and

cumulatively sets bits in said first acknowledgement message in response to the accumulated data.

7. The slave communication device according to claim 1, wherein

said processor executes a sequence of instructions determined in response to data content of said initiation message from the control communication device.

8. The slave communication device according to claim 1, wherein

said processor determines timing of communicating said first acknowledgement message in response to data content of said initiation message from the control communication device.

9. The slave communication device according to claim 1, wherein

said processor adaptively changes data collected and communicated by said slave communication device in response to at least one of, (a) said initiation message from the control communication device and (b) a message received from another slave communication device.

10. A method employed by a slave communication device in a wireless mesh network of communication devices using packet message transmission including a plurality of slave communication devices and at least one control communication device, comprising the activities of:

storing in a memory, a virtual routing identifier assigned to said slave communication device in response to increasing range from a control communication device, said virtual routing identifier reflecting a distance of the slave communication device from said control communication device expressed by a number of routings; and

in response to receiving an initiation message from said control communication device, initiating data collection from said slave communication device synchronised relative to the start of the initiation message frame by,

cumulatively setting bits in a first acknowledgement message in response to content of a second acknowledgement message received from another slave communication device of said plurality of slave communication devices, said first acknowledgement message being synchronized with start of said initiation message frame and

initiating communication of said first acknowledgement message to a destination in a time slot selected in response to the assigned virtual routing identifier.

11. The method according to claim 10, including

accumulating data from a plurality of slave communication devices in time slots of acknowledgement messages and

cumulatively setting bits in said first acknowledgement message in response to the accumulated data.

12. The method according to claim 11, including

cumulatively setting bits in said first acknowledgement message in response to, data derived from operation of said slave communication device as well as accumulated data from said plurality of slave communication devices.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein

said processor iteratively accumulates data from a plurality of slave communication devices in time slots of a plurality of acknowledgement messages and

cumulatively sets bits in said first acknowledgement message in response to the accumulated data.

14. The method according to claim 10, including

executing a sequence of instructions determined in response to data content of said initiation message from the control communication device.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein

determining timing of communicating said first acknowledgement message in response to data content of said initiation message from the control communication device.

16. The method according to claim 10, including

adaptively changing data collected and communicated by said slave communication device in response to at least one of, (a) said initiation message from the control communication device and (b) a message received from another slave communication device.

17. Method of message acknowledgement and/or data collection from communication devices with packet transmission of messages in wireless mesh networks, intended particularly for telemetry and automation, where each mesh network includes at least one control communication device (C) and a set of slave communication devices (N), and the control communication device (C) searches through the mesh network so that a unique virtual routing number (VRN) for that network, expressing the distance of the slave communication device (N) from the control communication device (C) determined by the number of routings, is assigned to found slave communication devices (N) and stored into its memory, and in the network arranged in this way, control messages are transmitted from the control communication device (C) and back through directional flooding, comprising in addressed slave communication devices (N) after reception of the initiation message from the control communication device (C), through which the control communication device (C) initiates data collection from slave communication devices (N) that are time-synchronised relative to the beginning of the initiation frame, a bit or a number of bits are set, which then gradually merge with acknowledgement collective messages received from other addressed slave communication devices (N) during the acknowledgement frame that is time-synchronised to the initiation frame, whereas consequently such merged acknowledgement collective messages are gradually sent by the slave communication devices (N) in the corresponding time slot of that acknowledgement frame from the highest virtual routing number (VRN) towards the control communication device (C).

18. Method according to claim 17, wherein the initiation message from the control communication device (C), routed to slave communication devices (N), may have additional information inserted and in addressed slave communication devices (N) this information is interpreted and the required sequence of instructions is performed based on this interpretation and independently from it or based on its result, one or several bits are set, which are then inserted into the collective acknowledgement message addressed to the control communication device (C).

19. Method according to claim 17, wherein the timing of the acknowledgement frame is performed depending on the additional information inserted into the initiation message from the control communication device (C).

20. Method of making bulk acknowledgement and/or data collection accessible according to claim 17 for creation of a generic platform, wherein it is implemented as a directly addressable virtual peripheral in wireless networks so that such peripheral is served based on interpretation of messages sent by communication devices (N) or (C) in the wireless network.