COMMUNICATING DATA OVER A MESH NETWORK

• US 20150245369A1
• Filed: 10/02/2014
• Published: 08/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm technologies international, ltd. (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cambridge Silicon Radio Limited (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Heydon, Robin
• Application Number:
  US14/505,437
• Publication Number:
  US 20150245369A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/44 Program or device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/14 Relay systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/71 Wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/14 Network analysis or design
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/065 related to network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0882 Utilisation of link capacity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/115 using a dedicated packet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/16 in connection oriented networks, e.g. frame relay
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/1584 Full Mesh, e.g. knockout
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0055 Physical resource allocation for ACK/NACK for physical mapping arrangements in ARQ protocols H04L1/1861
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/061 for key exchange, e.g. in peer-to-peer networks cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key agreement H04L9/0838
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 : Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 : Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0861 : Generation of secret information including derivation or calculation of cryptographic keys or passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 : Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 : Secure pairing of devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/77 : Graphical identity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/18 : Network planning tools
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/06 : Testing, supervising or monitoring using simulated traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 : Location-based management or tracking services
• 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 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/24 : Connectivity information management, e.g. connectivity discovery or connectivity update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0251 : using monitoring of local events, e.g. events related to user activity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/38 : TPC being performed in particular situations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/12 : Wireless traffic scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 : Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 : Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 : Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 : adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 10/40 : Controlling or monitoring, e.g. of flood or hurricane; Forecasting, e.g. risk assessment or mapping
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A communication device capable of operating in a mesh network and configured to transmit data to a destination device by encapsulating that data in a broadcast packet and transmitting it over the mesh network in order that another communication device, on receiving the broadcast packet, may forward it towards the destination device, the communication device being further configured to: establish a schedule for transmitting data encapsulated in broadcast packets; transmit information defining that schedule over the mesh network; and subsequently transmit the broadcast packets in accordance with that schedule.

Claims

1. A communication device capable of operating in a mesh network and configured to transmit data to a destination device by encapsulating that data in a broadcast packet and transmitting it over the mesh network in order that another communication device, on receiving the broadcast packet, forwards it towards the destination device, the communication device being further configured to:

establish a schedule for transmitting data encapsulated in broadcast packets;

transmit information defining the schedule over the mesh network; and

subsequently transmit the broadcast packets in accordance with the schedule.

2. The communication device as claimed in claim 1, configured to encapsulate non-audio data in the broadcast packets.

3. The communication device as claimed in claim 1, configured to encapsulate control data in the broadcast packets.

4. The communication device as claimed in claim 1, configured to transmit the broadcast packets over a channel that implements frequency hopping.

5. The communication device as claimed in claim 1, configured to transmit the broadcast packets by transmitting each broadcast packet on a different frequency from the preceding broadcast packet.

6. The communication device as claimed in claim 1, configured to transmit the information defining the schedule over a different channel from the broadcast packets.

7. The communication device as claimed in claim 1, configured to transmit information that defines the timing and frequency of the schedule.

8. The communication device as claimed in claim 1, configured to broadcast the information defining the schedule over the mesh network.

9. The communication device as claimed in claim 1, configured to transmit the information defining the schedule over a connection with another communication device.

10. The communication device as claimed in claim 9, configured to terminate the connection with the other communication device once it has transmitted the information defining the schedule.

11. The communication device as claimed in claim 1, configured to establish a schedule under which the communication device transmits broadcast packets that encapsulate the same data for the same destination device at different time instants.

12. The communication device as claimed in claim 1, configured to transmit the broadcast packets over a Bluetooth Low Energy isochronous channel.

13. The communication device as claimed in claim 1, configured to encapsulate data for transmission over the mesh network in a Bluetooth Low Energy advertising packet.

14. A communication device capable of operating in a mesh network and having a scan mode in which it listens for broadcast packets on the mesh network, said broadcast packets encapsulating data that is intended for a destination device, and forwards any such broadcast packet towards the respective destination device, the communication device being configured to:

obtain information that defines a schedule according to which another communication device will transmit broadcast packets over the mesh network; and

enter scan mode and listen for broadcast packets at times defined by the schedule.

15. The communication device as claimed in claim 14, configured to not enter scan mode at times that are not defined by the schedule.

16. The communication device as claimed in claim 14, configured to obtain information defining the schedule by listening for a broadcast packet that defines the schedule.

17. The communication device as claimed in claim 14, configured to obtain information defining the schedule by connecting with the other communication device.

18. The communication device as claimed in claim 17, configured to disconnect from the other communication device once the information defining the schedule has been received.

19. The communication device as claimed in claim 14, configured to enter scan mode and listen for broadcast packets when it is not connected to the other communication device.