Method for communicating in a network comprising wire and wireless nodes

• US 8,320,294 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2005
• Issued: 11/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Somfy Activites SA (Somfy SA)
• Original Assignee: Somfy Sas (Somfy SA)
• Inventors: Orsat, Jean-Michel
• Primary Examiner(s): Akonai, Olumide T Ajibade
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhang, Edward
• Application Number:
  US11/666,253
• Publication Number:
  US 20080089266A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,591 Days
• Field of Search: 370/501, 370/215, 370227-329, 379/238, 340/12.1, 340/12.22, 340/12.3, 340/12.31, 340/12.32, 340/12.5, 340/538, 340/9.11
• US Class Current: 370/315
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/18 for broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2838 Distribution of signals within a home automation network, e.g. involving splitting/multiplexing signals to/from different paths adaptations of television systems for transmission by electric cable for domestic distribution H04N7/106; hybrid transport H04L12/6418; home network arrangements specially adapted for distribution of digital video signals H04N7/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless

Abstract

The inventive method makes it possible to communicate in a network comprising wireless nodes provided with communications means enabling to communicate through a wireless channel and wire nodes provided with communication means enabling to communicate through a wire channel. Said method is characterised in that the wire node repeats a message received exclusively through a wireless channel if a signal acknowledging the message reception is not received, wherein the transmission of said acknowledgement signal is generated in a first time slot upon the reception of the signal though a wire channel.

Claims

1. A method of communication in a home automation network ensuring a message is only received once at a non-wired receiving node comprising non-wired nodes provided with communication means enabling communication by non-wired channel and wired nodes provided with communication means enabling communication by wired channel and by non-wired channel, wherein a wired node repeats by non-wired channel a message received exclusively by wired channel if it does not receive a message receipt confirmation signal, the transmission of this message receipt confirmation signal beginning in a first time slot after the receipt of the message by wired channel,

wherein the first time slot is initialized on each retransmission of the message by wired channel by a wired node.

2. The method of communication as claimed in claim 1, wherein a wired node repeats by wired channel a message received exclusively by non-wired channel, systematically and roughly simultaneously with the reception of the message received by non-wired channel.

3. The method of communication as claimed in claim 1, wherein a wired node transmits by wired channel a message sent by non-wired channel, systematically and roughly simultaneously with the transmission of the message by non-wired channel.

4. The method of communication as claimed in claim 1, wherein the message receipt confirmation signal is received by wired channel or by non-wired channel.

5. The method of communication as claimed in claim 1, wherein a wired node having repeated by wired channel a message received exclusively by non-wired channel, retransmits in a non-wired way a message receipt confirmation signal received by wired channel.

6. The method of communication as claimed in claim 1, wherein the message is repeated in a priority manner by the wired nodes having received the message exclusively by wired channel.

7. The method of communication as claimed in claim 6, wherein the repetition priority is managed by a second time slot beginning on the last repetition of the message, this second time slot allocated to the non-priority nodes being greater than the first time slot allocated to the priority nodes.

8. The method of communication as claimed in claim 1, wherein the message is repeated as a priority by a wired node not having received by non-wired channel the latest repetition of the message that has taken place.

9. The method of communication as claimed in claim 8, wherein the repetition priority is managed by a second time slot beginning on the last repetition of the message, this second time slot allocated to the non-priority nodes being greater than the first time slot allocated to the priority nodes.

10. The method of communication as claimed in claim 1, wherein, during a communication session, a wired node repeats, by non-wired channel, one and the same message only once.

11. The method of communication as claimed in claim 1, wherein the different communication links between the different nodes of the network are recorded in order to construct routing tables progressively and dynamically.

12. The method of communication as claimed in claim 11, wherein the wired nodes store an identifier of the non-wired nodes for which they receive a message by non-wired channel.

13. A network comprising non-wired nodes provided with communication means enabling communication by non-wired channel and wired nodes provided with communication means enabling communication by wired channel and by non-wired channel, which comprises hardware means and software means for implementing the method of communication as claimed in claim 1.

14. The network as claimed in claim 13, wherein at least the wired nodes comprise memories for storing in particular communication routing information.

15. The method of communication as claimed in claim 1, wherein each wired node determines whether it received the message exclusively by a wired channel and determines whether it is within range of a sending node by comparing signals received from the wired and non-wired channel.

16. The method of communication as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

giving priority for the retransmission of the message by a wired node from among the wired nodes based on the wired node receiving the message by the wired channel without receiving the message by the non-wired channel.