Determining bidirectional path quality within a wireless mesh network

• US 7,551,562 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2004
• Issued: 06/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Energy Switzerland AG (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Tropos Networks Incorporated (ABB Limited)
• Inventors: Chari, Amalavoyal Narasimha, Arutyunov, Roman, Hong, B. William, Srikrishna, Devabhaktuni
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan; Wing F
• Assistant Examiner(s): Choi; Eunsook
• Application Number:
  US10/967,951
• Publication Number:
  US 20050068970A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,708 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/236
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/125 based on throughput or bandwidth
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/20 Hop count for routing purposes, e.g. TTL
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/10 based on available power or energy
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/12 based on transmission quality or channel quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/22 using selective relaying for reaching a BTS [Base Transceiver Station] or an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/246 Connectivity information discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/26 for hybrid routing by combining proactive and reactive routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/30 for proactive routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/32 for defining a routing cluster membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

The invention includes an apparatus and method for communicating link quality information between access nodes. A first step includes a first access node transmitting first routing packets. A second step includes a second access node receiving at least one of the first routing packets over a first direction of a first link. A third step includes the second access node transmitting second routing packets. A fourth step includes the first access node receiving at least one of the second routing packets over a second direction of the first link, and determining a first direction link quality of the first link based upon the second routing packets.

Claims

1. A method of communicating link quality information between access nodes, comprising:

a first access node transmitting first routing packets;

a second access node receiving at least one of the first routing packets over a first direction of a first link;

the second node estimating a first direction link quality based on reception of the first routing packets;

the second access node transmitting second routing packets, wherein the second routing packets include the first direction link quality;

the first access node receiving at least one of the second routing packets over a second direction of the first link, and determining the first direction link quality of the first link based upon the second routing packets;

wherein

the first access node is downstream from the second access node, and the first access node makes a routing decision to a gateway based at least partially upon first direction link quality information within the second routing packets.

2. The method of communicating link quality information of claim 1, further comprising the first access node determining a second direction link quality of the first link based upon the second routing packets.

3. The method of communicating link quality information of claim 2, wherein the second direction link quality is determined by determining a percentage of second routing packets per unit of time received by the first access node.

4. The method of communicating link quality information of claim 1, wherein the first direction link quality is determined by the second access node determining a percentage routing packets per unit of time received by the second access node.

5. The method of communicating link quality information of claim 1, wherein the second access node advertises the first direction link quality within the second routing packets.

6. The method of communicating link quality information of claim 1, further comprising:

a third access node receiving at least one of the first routing packets over a first direction of a second link from the first access node;

the third access node transmitting third routing packets;

the first access node receiving at least one of the third routing packets over a second direction of the second link, and determining a first direction link quality of the second link based upon the third routing packets.

7. The method of communicating link quality information of claim 6, further comprising the first access node selecting a route through at least one of the second node and the third node at least partially based upon the first direction link quality of the first direction of the first link and the first direction link quality of the first direction of the second link.

8. The method of communicating link quality information of claim 6, wherein at least one of the second access node and the third access node is a gateway of a wireless mesh network.

9. The method of communicating link quality information of claim 1, wherein the routing packets are beacons that include routing information.

10. The method of communicating link quality information of claim 9, wherein the beacons are transmitted according to an 802.11 protocol.

11. The method of communicating link quality information of claim 1, wherein the second access node is a gateway of a wireless mesh network.

12. A method of communicating link quality information between access nodes, comprising:

a first access node transmitting first routing packets;

a second access node receiving at least one of the first routing packets over a first direction of a first link;

the second node estimating a first direction link quality based on reception of the first routing packets;

the second access node transmitting second routing packets, wherein the second routing packets include the first direction link quality;

the first access node receiving at least one of the second routing packets over a second direction of the first link, and determining a first direction link quality of the first link based upon the second routing packets;

the first access node determining a second direction link quality of the first link based upon the second routing packets; and

wherein the first access node is downstream from the second access node, and the first access node makes a routing decision to a gateway based at least partially upon the first direction link quality of the first link and the second direction link quality of the first link.

13. A method of communicating link quality information between access nodes, comprising:

a first access node transmitting first routing packets;

a second access node receiving at least one of the first routing packets over a first direction of a first link;

the second access node estimating a first direction link quality based on a persistence of successfully received first routing packets;

the second access node transmitting second routing packets, wherein the second routing packets include the first direction link quality;

the first access node receiving at least one of the second routing packets over a second direction of the first link;

the first access node determining the first direction link quality of the first link from the second routing packets;

the first access node determining a second direction link quality of the first link based upon a persistence of the second routing packets that are successfully received; and

wherein the first access node is downstream from the second access node, and the first access node makes a routing decision to a gateway based at least partially upon the first direction link quality of the first link and the second direction link quality of the first link.