Method and system for mesh network embedded devices

• US 7,586,888 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2006
• Issued: 09/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: III Holdings 2, LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Mobitrum Corporation
• Inventors: Wang, Ray
• Primary Examiner(s): Appiah, Charles N
• Assistant Examiner(s): DOAN, KIET M
• Application Number:
  US11/356,900
• Publication Number:
  US 20060182076A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,299 Days
• Field of Search: 370/338, 370/406, 370/310, 370/328, 370/401, 455/41.2, 713/156, 375/316, 714/704, 340/359.22, 340/572.1, 340/539.1, 340/539.21
• US Class Current: 370/338
• 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

Abstract

A method and system for managing mesh network devices. A mesh network device with integrated features creates an N-way mesh network with a full mesh network topology or a partial mesh network topology.

Claims

1. A mesh network device, comprising in combination:

a universal serial bus (USB) interface;

a selectable bit-size interface;

a flash memory;

an erasable electronically programmable read only memory (EEPROM);

a first-in-first-out (FIFO) buffer;

a data-link interface;

a security interface;

a wireless baseband connector, wherein the wireless baseband connector includes a plurality of phase shifting modulation schemes comprising Complementary Code Keying (CCK), Differential Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (DQPSK) and Differential Binary Phase Shift Keying (DBPSK) with an output including a baseband representation of a modulated signal;

a wireless radio frequency (RF) antenna; and

a clock; and

a Wireless Sensor Portal (WSP) with a Thin Film Transistor (TFT) high-resolution user graphic interface for displaying sensor topology information and an Organizing Agent (OA) for managing the WSP and TFT,

wherein the mesh network device wirelessly exchanges information with other mesh network devices on a wireless mesh network or wireless partial mesh network.

2. The mesh network device of claim 1 wherein the wireless baseband connector includes a Bluetooth, IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.15, 802.15.4 (ZigBee), 802.16 or ETSI HIPERMAN, wireless baseband connectors.

3. The mesh network device of claim 1 wherein the wireless baseband connector includes eleven, thirteen or fourteen selectable channels depending on a geographical area in which the wireless baseband connector is used.

4. The mesh network device of claim 1 further comprising an external power source, an external flash memory or an external disk drive, or an external host network device.

5. The mesh network device of claim 1 further comprising one or more Transducer Interface Modules (STIM), an ultra wideband transceiver in a physical layer, a mesh network protocol adapter in a data-link layer including plurality of phase shifting modulation schemes comprising Complementary Code Keying (CCK) encoding, Differential Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (DQPSK)encoding and Differential Binary Phase Shift Keying (DBPSK) encoding and a frequency shifting modulation scheme Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) scheme and an authentication and encryption software module in a data-link layer.

6. The mesh network device of claim 1 further comprising a first light emitting diode (LED) indicating when the mesh network embedded device is connected to a mesh network or partial mesh network and a second LED indicating when the mesh network embedded device is active.

7. The mesh network device of claim 1 wherein the wireless baseband connector includes a wireless personal area network (WPAN) wireless baseband connector.

8. The mesh network device of claim 1 wherein the security interface includes a Wireless Encryption Protocol (WEP), Wireless Protected Access (WPA), Robust Security Network (RSN), secure sockets layer (SSL) or transport layer security (TLS) security interface.

9. The mesh network device of claim 1 wherein the mesh network device includes a wireless mesh network sensor device wherein the mesh network sensor device measures a physical quantity such as temperature, pressure or sound or a radio signal and converts it into an electronic signal that is transmitted wirelessly to other mesh network sensors.

10. The mesh network device of claim 1 wherein the mesh network device includes an embedded mesh network device used as part of an embedded mesh network.

11. A method for mobile mesh networking:

moving a first mobile mesh network device within a pre-determined distance of a second mobile mesh network device, wherein the second mobile mesh network device is also moving;

exchanging mesh network data over a secure communications channel between the first mobile mesh network and the second mesh network device to create a mobile mesh network;

verifying the mobile mesh network data on the second mesh network device;

distributing the verified data to other mesh network devices, if any, on the mobile mesh network, thereby creating an N-way mesh network,

wherein the first mobile mesh network device and the second mesh network device each comprise;

a universal serial bus (USB) interface;

a selectable bit-size interface;

a flash memory;

an erasable electronically programmable read only memory (EEPROM);

a first-in-first-out (FIFO) buffer;

a data-link interface;

a security interface;

a wireless baseband connector, wherein the wireless baseband connector includes a plurality of phase shift modulation schemes comprising Complementary Code Keying (CCK), Differential Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (DQPSK) and Differential Binary Phase Shift Keying (DBPSK) with an output including a baseband representation of a modulated signal;

a wireless radio frequency (RF) antenna;

a clock; and

a Wireless Sensor Portal (WSP) with a Thin Film Transistor (TFT) high-resolution user graphic interface for displaying sensor topology information and an Organizing Agent (OA) for managing the WSP and TFT,

wherein the mesh network device wirelessly exchanges information with other mesh network devices on a wireless mesh network or wireless partial mesh network.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising a computer readable medium having stored therein instructions for a causing one or more processors to execute the steps of the method.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the mesh network data includes routing data, spatial data or mesh network load data.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the security interface for first mobile mesh network device and the second mesh network device further comprise a Wireless Encryption Protocol (WEP), Wireless Protected Access (WPA) and a Robust Security Network (RSN) security interface.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the first and second mesh network device include a wireless mesh network sensor device wherein the mesh network sensor device measures a physical quantity such temperature, pressure or sound or a radio signal and converts it into an electronic signal that is transmitted wirelessly to other mesh network sensors.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein the first mobile mesh network device and the second mobile mesh network device include embedded mobile mesh network devices and wherein the mobile mesh network is an embedded mobile mesh network.

17. A mesh network device, comprising in combination:

means for mobile mesh networking including;

a universal serial bus (USB) interface;

a selectable bit-size interface;

a flash memory;

an erasable electronically programmable read only memory (EEPROM);

a first-in-first-out (FIFO) buffer;

a data-link interface;

a security interface;

a wireless baseband connector, wherein the wireless baseband connector includes a plurality of phase shifting modulation schemes comprising Complementary Code Keying (CCK), Differential Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (DQPSK) and Differential Binary Phase Shift Keying (DBPSK) with an output including a baseband representation of a modulated signal;

a wireless radio frequency (RF) antenna; and

a clock; and

a Wireless Sensor Portal (WSP) with a Thin Film Transistor (TFT) high-resolution user graphic interface for displaying sensor topology information and an Organizing Agent (OA) for managing the WSP and TFT,

wherein the means for mobile mesh networking wirelessly exchanges information with other mesh network devices on a wireless mesh network or wireless partial mesh network;

means for creating a wireless baseband connection on the wireless baseband connecter on the means for mobile mesh networking;

means for receiving and transmitting a wireless radio frequency (RF) signal on the wireless RF antenna on the means for mobile mesh networking;

means for providing secure wireless communication including Wireless Encryption Protocol (WEP), Wireless Protected Access (WPA) and a Robust Security Network (RSN) secure wireless communication on the means for mobile mesh networking; and

means for storing mesh network data on the means for mobile mesh networking,

wherein the means for mobile mesh networking wirelessly exchanges information with other mesh network devices on a wireless personal area network (WPAN) mesh network or wireless partial mesh network.

18. The mesh network device of claim 17 wherein the means for creating a wireless baseband connection includes creating a Bluetooth, IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.15, 802.15.4 (ZigBee), 802.16 or ETSI HIPERMAN wireless baseband connection.

19. The mesh network device of claim 17 wherein the mesh network device includes a wireless mesh network sensor device wherein the mesh network sensor device measures a physical quantity such as temperature, pressure or sound or a radio signal and converts it into an electronic signal that is transmitted wirelessly to other mesh network sensor devices.