APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR END-TO-END LINK QUALITY INDICATION

• US 20150304871A1
• Filed: 07/02/2015
• Published: 10/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Enel X North America, Inc. (ENEL SPA)
• Original Assignee: Enernoc
• Inventors: WILLIG, RANDY C., JONES, MORGAN
• Granted Patent: US 9,848,346 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/002 Remote reading of utility meters
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 15/02 simultaneously, i.e. using frequency division
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/7156 Arrangements for sequence synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2001/71563 Acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/06 for supporting key management in a packet data network cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management H04L9/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/43 using wireless personal area networks [WPAN], e.g. 802.15, 802.15.1, 802.15.4, Bluetooth or ZigBee
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/50 using a mobile data collecting device, e.g. walk by or drive by
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/60 for transmitting utility meters data, i.e. transmission of data from the reader of the utility meter
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/06 Testing, supervising or monitoring using simulated traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• 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 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/30 Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading

Abstract

A mechanism for end-to-end link quality indication, including a wireless router, coupled to other wireless routers over a multi-hop mesh network, responsive to a first message received from an origination device, configured to forward the first message to a next one of the other wireless routers in route to a destination device. The wireless router has received signal strength indication (RSSI) logic, that adds first RSSI information to a first field of the first message, and that adds second RSSI information to a second field of an acknowledgement message prior to transmitting the acknowledgement message to the origination device. The first and second RSSI information, along with intermediate RSSI information added by one or more of the other wireless routers along a path from the origination device to the destination device, is aggregated into a single term representative of total round-trip quality for the first message and the acknowledgment message.

Claims

1. A mechanism for a composite end-to-end link quality indication, comprising:

a wireless router, coupled to other wireless routers over a multi-hop mesh network, responsive to a first message received from an origination device, configured to forward said first message to a next one of said other wireless routers in route to a destination device, said wireless router comprising;

received signal strength indication (RSSI) logic, configured to add first RSSI information to a first field of said first message, and configured to add second RSSI information to a second field of an acknowledgement message prior to transmitting said acknowledgement message to said origination device;

wherein said first and second RSSI information, along with intermediate RSSI information added by one or more of said other wireless routers along a path from said origination device to said destination device, is aggregated into a single term representative of total round-trip quality for said first message and said acknowledgment message.

2. The mechanism as recited in claim 1, wherein said single term is employed to support network decisions that are based on complete round-trip transmissions through said multi-hop mesh network.

3. The mechanism as recited in claim 1, wherein said intermediate RSSI information is added to corresponding fields of said first and acknowledgment messages by said one or more of said other wireless routers along said path from said origination device to said destination device.

4. The mechanism as recited in claim 1, wherein said single term is generated by said originating device.

5. The mechanism as recited in claim 4, wherein said single term is forwarded in a display message to said destination device to facilitate installation of said destination device in a location with adequate end-to-end signal quality.

6. The mechanism as recited in claim 5, wherein said single term comprises a weighted average of said first, second, and intermediate RSSI information, wherein a corresponding weight for each hop is determined based upon system performance or cost criteria.

7. The mechanism as recited in claim 5, wherein said single term comprises an average of said first, second, and intermediate RSSI information.

8. An apparatus for determining a composite end-to-end link quality indication, comprising:

a first wireless router, coupled to a multi-hop mesh network, responsive to a first message received from an origination device, configured to forward said first message in route to a destination device, said first wireless router comprising;

first received signal strength indication (RSSI) logic, configured to add first RSSI information to a first field of said first message, and configured to add second RSSI information to a second field of an acknowledgement message prior to transmitting said acknowledgement message to said origination device; and

a second wireless router, configured to receive said first message forwarded from said first wireless router, and configured to transmit said acknowledgment message to said first wireless router, said second wireless router comprising;

second received signal strength indication (RSSI) logic, configured to add third RSSI information to a third field of said first message, and configured to add fourth RSSI information to a fourth field of an acknowledgement message.

wherein said first, second, third, and fourth RSSI information, along with intermediate RSSI information added by zero or more other wireless routers along a path from said origination device to said destination device, is aggregated into a single term representative of total round-trip quality for said first message and said acknowledgment message.

9. The apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein said single term is employed to support network decisions that are based on complete round-trip transmissions through said multi-hop mesh network.

10. The apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein said intermediate RSSI information is added to corresponding fields of said first and acknowledgment messages by said zero or more of said other wireless routers along said path from said origination device to said destination device.

11. The apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein said single term is generated by said originating device.

12. The apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein said single term is forwarded in a display message to said destination device to facilitate installation of said destination device in a location with adequate end-to-end signal quality.

13. The apparatus as recited in claim 12, wherein said single term comprises a weighted average of said first, second, third, fourth, and intermediate RSSI information, wherein a corresponding weight for each hop is determined based upon system performance or cost criteria.

14. The apparatus as recited in claim 12, wherein said single term comprises an average of said first, second, third, fourth, and intermediate RSSI information.

15. A method for determining a composite end-to-end link quality indication, comprising:

coupling a wireless router to other wireless routers over a multi-hop mesh network;

responsive to a first message received from an origination device, forwarding the first message to a next one of the other wireless routers in route to a destination device, said forwarding comprising;

first adding add first RSSI information to a first field of the first message, and second adding second RSSI information to a second field of an acknowledgement message prior to transmitting the acknowledgement message to the origination device; and

aggregating the first and second RSSI information, along with intermediate RSSI information added by one or more of the other wireless routers along a path from the origination device to the destination device, into a single term representative of total round-trip quality for the first message and the acknowledgment message.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the single term is employed to support network decisions that are based on complete round-trip transmissions through the multi-hop mesh network.

17. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the intermediate RSSI information is added to corresponding fields of the first and acknowledgment messages by the one or more of the other wireless routers along the path from the origination device to the destination device.

18. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein the single term is generated by the originating device.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the single term is forwarded in a display message to the destination device to facilitate installation of the destination device in a location with adequate end-to-end signal quality.

20. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein the single term comprises a weighted average of the first, second, and intermediate RSSI information, wherein a corresponding weight for each hop is determined based upon system performance or cost criteria.

21. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein the single term comprises an average of the first, second, and intermediate RSSI information.