Techniques for Generating a Routing Table for a Mesh Network Having Ad Hoc Connections

• US 20150382278A1
• Filed: 06/25/2014
• Published: 12/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Tahoe Research Limited (f/k/a Learndale Limited) (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Tahoe Research Limited (f/k/a Learndale Limited) (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Inventors: Fallon, Michael F., Adiletta, Matthew J.
• Application Number:
  US14/314,955
• Publication Number:
  US 20150382278A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/42 Centralised routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/54 Organization of routing tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/04 based on wireless node resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/10 based on available power or energy
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/20 based on geographic position or location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/24 Connectivity information management, e.g. connectivity discovery or connectivity update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/246 Connectivity information discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Examples may include a management authority for a software-define network (SDN) receiving telemetric data from wireless devices coupled together in a mesh network having one or more ad hoc connections between the wireless devices. The management authority may then generate a routing table based on the received telemetric data and provide a routing table for use by the wireless devices to route data within the mesh network or route data to a network coupled to the mesh network.

Claims

1. An apparatus for a management authority of a software-defined network (SDN) comprising:

circuitry;

a receive component for execution by the circuitry to receive telemetric data from wireless devices coupled together in a mesh network having one or more ad hoc wireless local access network (WLAN) connections between the wireless devices, the mesh network coupled to the management authority through at least one of the wireless devices;

a table component for execution by the circuitry to generate a routing table to define one or more paths through the one or more ad hoc WLAN connections based, at least in part, on the telemetric data; and

a send component for execution by the circuitry to send the routing table to at least one wireless device coupled to the mesh network for use to route data within the mesh network or route data to a first network coupled to the mesh network.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, the telemetric data comprising at least one of an indication of which of the wireless devices couples to the first network or couples to the management authority, rate and direction of movement information for the wireless devices, or power source or battery information for the wireless devices.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, the telemetric data comprising respective processing workloads used by each of the wireless devices to route data within or outside of the mesh network.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, the table component to further generate the routing table based on a fairness scheme that includes the table component balancing the respective processing workloads used by each of the wireless devices to route data within or outside of the mesh network.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, balancing the respective processing workloads comprises balancing based on each wireless device sharing substantially equal portions of an overall processing workload for routing data within or outside the mesh network.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, the telemetric data comprising physical locations of the wireless devices.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, the table component to further generate the routing table based on information indicating physical terrain characteristics for the physical locations of the wireless devices.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, the table component to further generate the routing table based on a physical location of one or more of the wireless devices from among the wireless devices coupled to the first network or coupled to the SDN via network uplink connections.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, the telemetric data comprising respective quality of service (QoS) guarantees for each of the wireless devices.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, the telemetric data including respective QoS guarantees for each of the wireless devices, the apparatus further comprising:

a synchronization component for execution by the circuitry to synchronize a time between the wireless devices to facilitate meeting the respective QoS guarantees for each of the wireless devices.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising the management authority residing at a server for the SDN, the management authority capable of providing a control plane for the mesh network via generation of the routing table.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, comprising the management authority also capable of providing the control plane via one or more management functions including central authentication and verification control for each wireless device to access the mesh network or access the SDN, or virus scanning of data routed through the mesh network.

13. A method comprising:

receiving telemetric data at a management authority for a software-defined network (SDN), the telemetric data received from wireless devices coupled together in a mesh network having one or more ad hoc wireless local access network (WLAN) connections between the wireless devices, the mesh network coupled to the management authority through at least one of the wireless devices;

generating a routing table to define one or more paths through the one or more ad hoc WLAN connections based, at least in part, on the telemetric data; and

sending the routing table to at least one wireless device coupled to the mesh network for use to route data within the mesh network or route data to a first network coupled to the mesh network.

14. The method of claim 13, comprising receiving the telemetric data according to one or more negotiated session parameters that determine frequency and content of the telemetric data received from the wireless devices.

15. The method of claim 13, comprising:

verifying whether a wireless device from among the wireless devices has a service agreement with the management authority before generating the routing table based on telemetric data received from the wireless device;

authenticating an identity of the wireless device that matches an identity for a given wireless device having the service agreement with the management authority; and

generating the routing table with or without telemetric data from the wireless device based on the verification of the service agreement and authentication of the wireless device.

16. The method of claim 13, comprising:

receiving a request for a service from a wireless device from among the wireless devices; and

fulfilling the request based on at least some of the telemetric data received from the wireless devices.

17. The method of claim 16, comprising the telemetric data including a physical location for the wireless device and the service including one of locating a charging location to charge a battery for the wireless device, a surface route for the wireless device to travel to reach a given physical location or a physical location of vehicle parking located nearest to the physical location for the wireless device.

18. The method of claim 13, comprising:

receiving updated telemetric data from the wireless devices coupled together in the mesh network;

generating an updated routing table based on the updated telemetric data; and

sending the updated routing table to the at least one wireless device coupled to the mesh network for use to route data within the mesh network or route data to the first network coupled to the mesh network.

19. At least one machine readable medium comprising a plurality of instructions that in response to being executed by a system at a first wireless device cause the system to:

establish a first ad hoc wireless local access network (WLAN) connection with a second wireless device to couple to a mesh network having at least a third wireless device coupled to the second wireless device via a second ad hoc WLAN connection;

receive address information to communicate telemetric data to a management authority for a software-defined network (SDN) coupled to the mesh network through at least one of the second wireless device or the third wireless device;

send telemetric data to the management authority based on negotiated session parameters; and

receive a routing table generated by the management authority, the routing table based, at least in part, on the telemetric data, the routing table for use by the first wireless device to route data within the mesh network or route data to a first network coupled to the mesh network through the first, the second or the third wireless device.

20. The at least one machine readable medium of claim 19, comprising the negotiated session parameters including a frequency for sending telemetric data and content of the telemetric data.

21. The at least one machine readable medium of claim 20, the content of the telemetric data comprising at least one of a physical location of the first wireless device, indication of whether the first wireless device couples to the first network or couples to the SDN, rate and direction of movement information for the first wireless device, power source or battery information for the first wireless device, a processing workload used by each of the wireless devices to route data within or outside of the mesh network, or a quality of service (QoS) guarantee of the first wireless devices to route data within or outside of the mesh network.

22. The at least one machine readable medium of claim 19, comprising the second wireless device coupled to the SDN, sending the telemetric data includes forwarding the telemetric data to the second wireless device and the second wireless device capable of forwarding the telemetric data from the first wireless device to the management authority.

23. The at least one machine readable medium of claim 19, comprising the address information is received from the second wireless device or the third wireless device responsive to a request message sent from the first wireless device following establishment of the first ad hoc WLAN connection.

24. The at least one machine readable medium of claim 19, comprising the instructions to cause the system to:

receive a verification request from the management authority to determine whether the first wireless device has a service agreement with the management authority;

send identity information responsive to the verification request; and

receive the routing table based on the first wireless device having the service agreement with the management authority and based on authenticating an identity for the first wireless device that matches a given identity assigned to the service agreement.

25. The at least one machine readable medium of claim 19, comprising the instructions to cause the system to:

send a service request for a service provided by the management authority; and

receive a response to the service request based on at least some of the telemetric data sent to the management authority by the first wireless device.

26. The at least one machine readable medium of claim 25, comprising the telemetric data including a physical location for the first wireless device and the service provided by the management authority including one of locating a charging location to charge a battery for the first wireless device, a surface route for the first wireless device to travel to reach a given physical location, a physical location of vehicle parking located nearest to a location of the first wireless device.

27. The at least one machine readable medium of claim 19, comprising the instructions to cause the system to:

send updated telemetric data to the management authority based on the negotiated session parameters; and

receive an updated routing table from the management authority based, at least in part, on the updated telemetric data.

28. An apparatus for a first wireless device comprising:

means for establishing, at circuitry for the first wireless device, a first ad hoc wireless local access network (WLAN) connection with a second wireless device to couple to a mesh network having at least a third wireless device coupled to the second wireless device via a second ad hoc WLAN connection;

means for receiving address information to communicate telemetric data to a management authority for a software-defined network (SDN) coupled to the mesh network through at least one of the first wireless device, the second wireless device or the third wireless device;

means for sending telemetric data to the management authority based on negotiated session parameters; and

means for receiving a routing table generated by the management authority, the routing table based, at least in part, on the telemetric data, the routing table for use by the first wireless device to route data within the mesh network or route data to a first network coupled to the mesh network through the first, the second or the third wireless device.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, comprising the negotiated session parameters including a frequency for sending telemetric data and content of the telemetric data.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, the content of the telemetric data comprising at least one of a physical location of the first wireless device, indication of whether the first wireless device couples to the first network or couples to the SDN, rate and direction of movement information for the first wireless device, power source or battery information for the first wireless device, a processing workload used by each of the wireless devices to route data within or outside of the mesh network, or a quality of service (QoS) guarantee of the first wireless devices to route data within or outside of the mesh network.