Wireless mesh network with locally activated fast active scheduling of wireless messages
First Claim
1. A method of operating a wireless mesh network having a plurality of nodes capable of transmitting and receiving messages, the method comprising:
- synchronizing the nodes of the network to a global regular active schedule that defines when messages can be transmitted and received by the nodes; and
locally synchronizing a transmitting node and a receiving node to a fast active schedule based upon a level of a transmit queue of the transmitting node to send messages, wherein the fast active schedule links nodes for communicating messages more rapidly than with the global regular active schedule.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A wireless mesh network is formed by nodes having a regular active schedule for transmitting and receiving messages, and a fast active schedule mode that is locally activated when a demand exists for transmission of a larger number of messages. As each node transmits a message to another node, the transmitting node includes a message buffer queue parameter that indicates the number of messages in the transmitting nodes, pending message queue. The receiving node determines, based upon the message buffer queue parameter received and its own capacity, whether to continue on the regular schedule, or to activate the fast active schedule. If the fast active schedule is activated, the receiving node sends a special acknowledge message back to the sending node, so that both nodes will transmit and receive messages over a fast active schedule link until the message buffer of the sending node has been reduced and the fast active schedule can be deactivated in favor of the regular active schedule.
20 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A method of operating a wireless mesh network having a plurality of nodes capable of transmitting and receiving messages, the method comprising:
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synchronizing the nodes of the network to a global regular active schedule that defines when messages can be transmitted and received by the nodes; and locally synchronizing a transmitting node and a receiving node to a fast active schedule based upon a level of a transmit queue of the transmitting node to send messages, wherein the fast active schedule links nodes for communicating messages more rapidly than with the global regular active schedule. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method of communicating messages in a wireless mesh network having a plurality of nodes with transmit queues, the method comprising:
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operating nodes to transmit and receive messages according to a global regular active schedule; and locally activating a fast active schedule between a first, transmitting node and a second, receiving node based upon the queue depth of the first node, wherein the fast active schedule allows communicating messages between the first and second nodes more rapidly than with the global regular active schedule. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A wireless mesh network comprising a plurality of nodes capable of transmitting and receiving messages;
- characterized by;
each transmitting node including, as part of a message, a parameter that indicates a depth of a pending message queue in the transmitting node; and each receiving node determining if it will activate a fast active schedule for receiving future messages from the transmitting node based solely upon the parameter included in the message received from the transmitting node, wherein the fast active schedule allows communication of messages more rapidly than with a global regular active schedule. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19)
- characterized by;
Specification