Silent acknowledgement of routing in a mesh network

• US 8,219,705 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2007
• Issued: 07/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Silicon Laboratories Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Sigma Designs Incorporated
• Inventors: Shorty, Peter, Sigfredsson, Johann
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tammy
• Application Number:
  US11/681,417
• Publication Number:
  US 20070204009A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,957 Days
• Field of Search: 709/230, 709/237, 370/352, 714/712, 714/704
• US Class Current: 709/237
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/189 Transmission or retransmission of more than one copy of a message
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0093 Point-to-multipoint
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/22 Negotiating communication rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/18 Service support devices; Network management devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements

Abstract

In embodiments of the present invention improved capabilities are described for sending a single cast frame from a first node to a second node in a mesh network; sending the single cast frame from the second node to a third node in a mesh network; using the first node to detect the single cast frame sent from the second node to the third node; and interpreting this detection within the first node as an acknowledgement of success in sending the single cast frame from the first node to the second node. An additional method described herein may send a second single cast from the second node to a third node in a mesh network, interpret detection of the second single class frame within the first node as an acknowledgement of success in sending the first single cast frame from the first node to the second node.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

transmitting a frame from a source node to an intermediate node;

at the source node and during a time interval, failing to detect transmission of the frame by a node other than the intermediate node; and

retransmitting the frame from the source node to the intermediate node after expiration of the time interval.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

at the source node and during the time interval, failing to receive a routed acknowledgement frame from the intermediate node to the source node.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the time interval includes a randomly generated time interval.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting includes unicast transmitting.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein retransmitting includes unicast retransmitting.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the source node and intermediate node includes a mesh network node in a wireless mesh network, and wherein the transmitting and retransmitting occur wirelessly within the wireless mesh network.

7. A method comprising:

receiving a frame at a destination node from an intermediate node;

transmitting a routed acknowledgement frame from the destination node to the intermediate node;

at the destination node and during a time interval, failing to detect transmission of the routed acknowledgement frame by a node other than the intermediate node; and

retransmitting the routed acknowledgement frame from the destination node to the intermediate node after expiration of the time interval.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the time interval includes a randomly generated time interval.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein transmitting includes unicast transmitting.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein retransmitting includes unicast retransmitting.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein each of the destination node and the intermediate node includes a mesh network node in a wireless mesh network, and wherein the transmitting, retransmitting, and receiving all occur wirelessly within the wireless mesh network.

12. A method comprising:

transmitting a frame from a node to an intermediate node;

at the node and during a first time interval, failing to detect transmission of the frame by a node other than the intermediate node;

at the node and during the first time interval, failing to detect transmission of a routed acknowledgement frame from the intermediate node to the node;

retransmitting the frame from the node to the intermediate node after expiration of the first time interval;

receiving a second frame at the node from the intermediate node;

transmitting a second routed acknowledgement frame from the node to the intermediate node;

at the node and during a second time interval, failing to detect transmission of the second routed acknowledgement frame by a node other than the intermediate node; and

retransmitting the second routed acknowledgement frame from the node to the intermediate node after expiration of the second time interval.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first time interval includes a randomly generated time interval.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the second time interval includes a randomly generated time interval.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein transmitting includes unicast transmitting.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein retransmitting includes unicast retransmitting.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein each of the node and the intermediate node includes a mesh network node, and wherein the transmitting, retransmitting, and receiving all occur wirelessly within the wireless mesh network.

18. A system comprising:

a mesh network node adapted to transmit a frame, to detect transmission of the frame, to retransmit the frame after failing to detect transmission of the frame during a first time interval, to receive a second frame, to transmit a routed acknowledgement frame in response to receiving the second frame, to detect transmission of the routed acknowledgement frame, and to retransmit the routed acknowledgement frame after failing to detect transmission of the routed acknowledgement frame during a second time interval.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the mesh network node is further adapted to retransmit the frame to an intermediate node after both failing to detect transmission of the frame by a node other than the intermediate node during the first time interval and failing to receive a routed acknowledgement frame from the intermediate node during the first time interval.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the first time interval includes a randomly generated time interval.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the second time interval includes a randomly generated time interval.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein the frame includes a unicast frame.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein the routed acknowledgement frame includes a unicast routed acknowledgement frame.