BEACON AND METHOD FOR SETTING UP AND FOR MAINTAINING A NETWORK

• US 20180220354A1
• Filed: 07/13/2016
• Published: 08/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: M-Way Solutions GmbH
• Original Assignee: M-Way Solutions GmbH
• Inventors: Heil, Marius
• Granted Patent: US 10,785,702 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• 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 40/32 for defining a routing cluster membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/14 WLL [Wireless Local Loop]; RLL [Radio Local Loop]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 Master-slave selection or change arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for establishing and maintaining a network having two or more subscribers, based on radio connections between the subscribers in accordance with a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) standard, each subscriber being uniquely characterized by way of a subscriber identifier (node ID). Provision is made in that context that clusters having one subscriber, or several subscribers connected by means of BLE network connections, are formed; that a unique cluster identifier (cluster ID) is allocated to each cluster; that a first subscriber of a first cluster selects a second subscriber, located within range of a BLE connection, from a second cluster that is smaller or of the same size, and causes it to be detached from the second cluster and integrated into the first cluster by way of a BLE network connection to the first subscriber. The invention further relates to a beacon for carrying out the method.

Claims

1. A method for establishing and maintaining a network having two or more subscribers (20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27), based on radio connections between the subscribers (20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27) in accordance with a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) standard, each subscriber (20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27) being uniquely characterized by way of a subscriber identifier (node ID),

wherein clusters (30, 31, 32, 33, 34) having one subscriber (20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27), or several subscribers (20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27) connected by BLE network connections, are formed;

a unique cluster identifier (cluster ID) is allocated to each cluster (30, 31, 32, 33, 34);

a first subscriber (20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27) of a first cluster (30, 31, 32, 33, 34) selects a second subscriber (20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27), located within range of a BLE connection, from a second cluster (30, 31, 32, 33, 34) that is smaller or of the same size, and causes it to be detached from the second cluster (30, 31, 32, 33, 34) and integrated into the first cluster (30, 31, 32, 33, 34) by way of a BLE network connection to the first subscriber (20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27).

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein before a BLE network connection is established, identifier data (“

join-me”

packet) are delivered between subscribers (20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27) of existing clusters (30, 31, 32, 33, 34);

the ID data contain at least the subscriber identifier (node ID) and/or the number of unoccupied inputs (20.1, 20.2, 20.3) and/or the number of unoccupied outputs (20.4) of a respective subscriber, and/or the cluster identifier (cluster ID) and/or a cluster size of the cluster to which the respective subscriber (20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27) belongs;

receiving subscribers (20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27) determine, from the identifier data sent from various subscribers (20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27), an evaluation number (connection score) for each of those subscribers (20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27); and

a subscriber (20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27) of a larger cluster (30, 31, 32, 33, 34) selects, on the basis of the evaluation number (connection score), a subscriber (20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27) of a smaller cluster (30, 31, 32, 33, 34) for establishment of a BLE network connection;

or, for clusters of the same size, a subscriber (20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27) is defined as a function of the respective cluster identifier (cluster ID) and/or the respective subscriber identifier (node ID) and selects, on the basis of the evaluation number (connection score), a second subscriber (20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27) for establishing the network connection.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein during a discovery phase of network establishment, the subscribers (20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27) continuously transmit connection data having their identifier data (join-me packet) and receive connection data having identifier data from transmitting subscribers (20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27);

receiving subscribers (20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27) store the respectively most recently received identifier data of the transmitting subscribers (20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27); and

the frequency with which connection data are sent out, and/or with which connection data for reception are searched for, is reduced or terminated if the received identifier data all have the same cluster ID.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one beacon (23) is used as a subscriber (20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27).

5. A battery- or rechargeable battery-operated beacon, having a microprocessor and a radio interface, the radio interface being designed to establish, in accordance with a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) standard, a data connection to a further subscriber (20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27) having such an interface, the beacon (23) being designed to send out connection data and to search for transmitted connection data of further subscribers (20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27),

wherein the beacon (23) is embodied to establish a network with the further subscribers (20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27) by BLE network connections;

and the beacon (23) is embodied to reduce the frequency with which connection data are sent out and/or searched for, or to halt the transmission of and/or search for connection data, when the subscribers (20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27) present within range (24) of a bidirectional BLE connection are integrated into the network.

6. The beacon (23) according to claim 5, wherein the beacon (23) is embodied to form, alone or together with at least one further subscriber (20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27) connected via a BLE network connection, a first cluster (30, 31, 32, 33, 34);

the beacon (23) is embodied to select a second subscriber (20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27) from a second cluster (30, 31, 32, 33, 34) that is smaller or of the same size and to cause it to interrupt its BLE network connections to subscribers (20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27) of the second cluster (30, 31, 32, 33, 34); and

the beacon (23) is designed to establish a BLE network connection to the second subscriber (20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27).

7. The beacon (23) according to claim 6, wherein a unique node ID, and/or a unique cluster identifier (cluster ID), and/or a unique network identifier (network ID), and/or a cluster size of the cluster to which the beacon (23) belongs, and/or the number of subscribers (20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27) in a branch of the network which is connected to a respective input (20.1, 20.2, 20.3) or output (20.4) of the beacon (23) (connected cluster size), is stored in the beacon (23).

8. The beacon (23) according to claim 7, wherein the beacon (23) is designed to deliver identifier data (join-me packet), as connection data or as a portion of the connection data, to further subscribers (20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27) and to receive identifier data from them;

and the identifier data contain at least the node ID, and/or the number of unoccupied inputs (20.1, 20.2, 20.3) and/or the number of unoccupied outputs (20.4) of the beacon (23), and/or the cluster identifier (cluster ID), and/or the cluster size of the cluster to which the beacon (23) or the further subscriber (20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27) belongs.

9. The beacon (23) according to claim 8, wherein the beacon (23) is designed to determine from the received identifier data (join-me packet), with the aid of a function (cluster score function) stored in the beacon (23), an evaluation number (connection score) for each of the subscribers whose identifier data have been received from the beacon (23);

and the beacon (23) is designed to select, on the basis of the connection score, a subscriber (20, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27) for establishment of a BLE network connection.

10. (canceled)