Initialization method and operating method for a wireless network

• US 8,391,903 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2009
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EnOcean GmbH
• Original Assignee: EnOcean GmbH
• Inventors: Schmidt, Frank, Heller, Wolfgang, Berghald, Frank, Brehler, Markus, Lopez De Arroyabe, Jose
• Primary Examiner(s): TRINH, TAN H
• Application Number:
  US12/497,526
• Publication Number:
  US 20100087217A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,342 Days
• Field of Search: 455/509, 455/450, 455/68, 455/517, 455/445, 455/422.1, 455/436, 455/569.1, 455/205, 455/423, 370/338, 370/254, 370/400, 370/350, 370/252, 370/328, 370/208, 370/392, 375/259, 345/418
• US Class Current: 455/509
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/005 Routing actions in the presence of nodes in sleep or doze mode
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An initialization method for a wireless network is disclosed with at least one receiver node and/or switching node and transmitter node in which one transmitter node is allocated to at least one receiver node. An operating method is also disclosed for a wireless network with at least one receiver node and/or switching node and transmitter node. At least one allocation is made between a transmitter node and a receiver node after such an initialization method with the steps of: transmission of a wireless message at the transmitter node, reception of the wireless message at one or more switching nodes, and if the switching node is not the receiver node, transmission of the wireless message at the switching node and reception of the message at the preset receiver node.

Claims

1. An initialization method for a wireless network with at least one receiver node and/or switching node and transmitter node, wherein one transmitter node is allocated to at least one receiver node, the method comprising the steps of:

registration of the transmitter node on the receiver node with generation of allocation information;

propagation of the allocation information generated in the registration process to all switching nodes and/or receiver nodes of the wireless network; and

storage of the allocation information to all switching nodes and/or receiver nodes of the network,

wherein at least one of the switching node and the transmitter node are operated in an energy self-sufficient way with ambient energy.

2. The initialization method according to claim 1, wherein path information is allocated to each set of allocation information and is stored at the receiver node and/or at the switching node.

3. The initialization method according to claim 2, wherein

the transmitter node is brought to a defined location after registration on the receiver node;

a wireless message is triggered on the transmitter node at the defined location;

the wireless message is switched by means of switching nodes to the receiver node;

the wireless message is received at the receiver node and at least one switching path is defined;

path information of the defined switching path is transmitted to the switching node involved in the switching path; and

the path information of the switching path is stored at the switching nodes involved in the switching path.

4. The initialization method according to claim 1, wherein

with the reception of the allocation information, all of the switching nodes of the wireless network are set to an initialization state.

5. The initialization method according to claim 4, wherein

the initialization state on the switching node is ended after the reception of the path information of the optimal switching path.

6. The initialization method according to claim 1, wherein

the allocation information generated in the registration process is propagated to the switching nodes according to a tree structure that has its root at the receiver node.

7. The initialization method according to claim 6, wherein

the switching of the wireless message is realized via the switching nodes to the receiver nodes according to the tree structure.

8. The initialization method according to claim 1, wherein

the receiver node evaluates the wireless messages received across a preset time period, and from this, at least one first and one second optimal switching path are determined.

9. The initialization method according to claim 8, wherein

the receiver node transmits the path information of the first and second optimal switching paths to the switching nodes and the path information of the optimal switching paths is stored at the switching nodes involved in the optimal switching paths.

10. The initialization method according to claim 1, wherein

the registration process of the transmitter node on the receiver node takes place by means of a wireless transmission of a transmitter identification from the transmitter node to the receiver node.

11. The initialization method according to claim 10, wherein

the allocation information comprises the transmitter identification and receiver identification.

12. The initialization method according to claim 10, wherein

the transmitter identification is stored on the receiver node.

13. The initialization method according to claim 10, wherein the wireless message of the transmitter node comprises at least the transmitter identification, and the method comprises the steps of:

reception of the wireless message comprising a switching node identification at one or more switching nodes;

comparison of the transmitter identification with the stored allocation information;

if the transmitter identification matches the allocation information, addition of the switching node identification to the wireless message; and

transmission of the expanded wireless message by the switching node.

14. The initialization method according to claim 1, wherein

the registration process of the transmitter node on the receiver node takes place in the immediate vicinity of the receiver node.

15. The initialization method according to claim 1, wherein

the optimal switching path on the receiver node is set by a selection according to a cost analysis of the incoming wireless messages.

16. The initialization method according to claim 1, wherein the receiver node transmits a switching reply.

17. The initialization method according to claim 16, wherein the switching reply comprises:

the allocation information with transmitter identification and receiver identification; and

the switching node identification of the preceding switching node of the set switching path.

18. The initialization method according to claim 17, wherein the forwarding of the information of each switching node by the preceding switching node is evaluated as reception confirmation.

19. An operating method for a wireless network with at least one receiver node and/or switching node and transmitter node, wherein at least one allocation between a transmitter node and a receiver node is preset after an initialization method according to claim 1, the method comprising the steps of:

transmission of a wireless message at the transmitter node;

reception of the wireless message at one or more switching nodes; and

if the switching node is not the receiver node, transmission of the wireless message at the switching node, and

reception of the message at the preset receiver node.

20. The operating method according to claim 19, wherein

a transmitter identification of the allocated transmitter node is stored in the receiver node, and a transmitted message comprises the transmitter identification and message contents.

21. The operating method according to claim 19, wherein

a switching process is received at a switching node from the preceding switching node and is evaluated by this according to a reception confirmation.

22. An operating method for a wireless network with at least one receiver node and/or switching node and transmitter node comprising the steps of:

transmitting a wireless message at the transmitter node;

receiving the wireless message at one or more switching nodes;

if the switching node is not the receiver node, transmitting of the wireless message at the switching node;

receiving the message at the preset receiver node;

transmitting an acknowledge signal for acknowledging the received wireless message from the receiver node to one or more switching nodes;

storing the acknowledge signal in a buffer memory of the switching node; and

transmitting the buffered acknowledge signal from the switching node to the transmitter node upon request of the transmitter node,

wherein at least one of the switching node and the transmitter node are operated in an energy self-sufficient way with ambient energy.

23. An operating method for a wireless network with at least one receiver node and/or switching node and transmitter node comprising the steps of:

transmitting a wireless message at the transmitter node;

receiving the wireless message at one or more switching nodes;

if the switching node is not the receiver node, transmitting the wireless message at the switching node;

receiving the message at the preset receiver node;

transmitting a reply signal from the receiver node to one or more switching nodes;

storing the reply signal in a buffer memory of the switching node; and

transmitting the buffered reply signal from the switching node to the transmitter node upon request of the transmitter node,

wherein at least one of the switching node and the transmitter node are operated in an energy self-sufficient way with ambient energy.