Method and apparatus for efficient data broadcast within beaconing network

• US 8,488,584 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2006
• Issued: 07/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/23/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Institute For Information Industry
• Original Assignee: Institute For Information Industry
• Inventors: Liu, Yung-Chih
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Huy C
• Application Number:
  US11/366,057
• Publication Number:
  US 20070115903A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,693 Days
• Field of Search: 370/350
• US Class Current: 370/350
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1887 Scheduling and prioritising arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0093 Point-to-multipoint
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00

Abstract

A wireless communication apparatus, system, method and computer readable medium therefor for transmission between a parent node and a child node are provided. The child node transmits a first packet to the parent node via point-to-point transmission. When the parent node tries to transmit a second packet to the child node, a synchronization signal is transmitted first and then the second packet is transmitted to the child node via broadcast transmission after a certain period. If the child node fails to receive the second packet during the certain period, the child node sends a signal to the parent node. The parent node re-transmits the second packet to the child node via point-to-point transmission.

Claims

1. A wireless communication system comprising a child node and a parent node, wherein the improvement comprises:

when a first packet is transmitted from the child node to the parent node based on an IEEE 802.15.4/ZigBee standard, the child node transmitting the first packet to the parent node by way of point-to-point transmission, and when a second packet is transmitted from the parent node to the child node based on the IEEE 802.15.4/ZigBee standard, the parent node transmitting a synchronization signal with a specified flag periodically for connection maintenance and synchronous control, and the child node receiving the second packet, transmitted by way of broadcasting, from the parent node in response to the synchronization signal with the specified flag set to one;

wherein the child node sends a request signal to the parent node for re-transmitting the second packet as the child node fails to receive the second packet in a certain period after receiving the synchronization signal, and

wherein the parent node re-transmits the second packet to the child node by way of point-to-point transmission in response to the request signal.

2. The wireless communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first packet comprises a first MAC layer header, and the child node sets an object address of the first MAC layer header as a parent node address.

3. The wireless communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second packet comprises a second MAC layer header, and the parent node sets an object address of the second MAC layer header as a broadcast address.

4. The wireless communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the child node reserves a packet receiving period for receiving the second packet after receiving the synchronization signal.

5. The wireless communication system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the packet receiving period is twice as long as a time requirement for receiving a probably longest packet.

6. A communication device for wireless communicating with a parent node and a child node, wherein:

when a first packet is transmitted from the communication device to the parent node based on an IEEE 802.15.4/ZigBee standard, the communication device transmits the first packet to the parent node by way of point-to-point transmission, and

when a second packet is transmitted from the communication device to the child node based on the IEEE 802.15.4/ZigBee standard, the communication device transmits a first synchronization signal with a specified flag periodically for connection maintenance and synchronous control, and transmits the second packet, in response to the synchronization signal with the specified flag set to one, to the child node after a certain period by way of broadcasting;

wherein the communication device re-transmits the second packet by way of point-to-point transmission as the communication device receives a second request signal from the child node for re-transmitting the second packet.

7. The communication device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the first packet comprises a first MAC layer header, and the communication device sets an object address of the first MAC layer header as a parent node address.

8. The communication device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the second packet comprises a second MAC layer header, and the communication device sets an object address of the second MAC layer header as a broadcast address.

9. The communication device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the communication device reserves a packet receiving period for receiving a third packet as the communication device receives a second synchronization signal with a specified flag set to one transmitted from the parent node.

10. The communication device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the communication device sends a first request signal to the parent node for re-transmitting the third packet as the communication device fails to receive the third packet in a certain period after receiving the second synchronization signal.

11. A wireless communication method between a child node and a parent node, the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting a first packet from the child node to the parent node by way of point-to-point transmission when the first packet needs to be transmitted to the parent node based on an IEEE 802.15.4/ZigBee standard;

transmitting a synchronization signal with a specified flag periodically from the parent node to the child node for connection maintenance and synchronous control when a second packet needs to be transmitted to the child node based on the IEEE 802.15.4/ZigBee standard;

receiving the second packet, transmitted by way of broadcasting, by the child node in response to the synchronization signal with the specified flag set to one;

sending a request signal to the parent node by the child node for re-transmitting the second packet as the child node fails to receive the second packet in a certain period after receiving the synchronization signal; and

re-transmitting the second packet to the child node by way of point-to-point transmission by the parent node in response to the request signal.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the first packet comprises a first MAC layer header, the method further comprising the step of:

setting an object address of the first MAC layer header as a parent node address by the child node when the first packet needs to be transmitted from the child node to the parent node.

13. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the second packet comprises a second MAC layer header, the method further comprising the step of

setting an object address of the second MAC layer header as a broadcast address by the parent node when the second packet needs to be transmitted from the parent node to the child node.

14. The method as claimed in claim 11, further comprising the step of:

reserving a packet receiving period by the child node for receiving the second packet after receiving the synchronization signal.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the packet receiving period is twice as long as a time requirement for receiving a probably longest packet.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, storing a computer program to perform a wireless communication method between a child node and a parent node based on an IEEE 802.15.4/ZigBee standard, the method comprising the steps of:

transmitting a first packet from the child node to the parent node by way of point-to-point transmission when the first packet needs to be transmitted to the parent node based on an IEEE 802.15.4/ZigBee standard;

transmitting a synchronization signal with a specified flag periodically from the parent node to the child node for connection maintenance and synchronous control when a second packet needs to be transmitted to the child node based on the IEEE 802.15.4/ZigBee standard;

receiving the second packet, transmitted by way of broadcasting, by the child node in response to the synchronization signal with the specified flag set to one;

sending a request signal to the parent node by the child node for re-transmitting the second packet as the child node fails to receive the second packet in a certain period after receiving the synchronization signal; and

re-transmitting the second packet to the child node by way of point-to-point transmission by the parent node in response to the request signal.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 16, wherein the first packet comprises a first MAC layer header, the method further comprising the step of:

setting an object address of the first MAC layer header as a parent node address by the child node when the first packet needs to be transmitted from the child node to the parent node.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 16, wherein the second packet comprises a second MAC layer header, the method further comprising the step of

setting an object address of the second MAC layer header as a broadcast address by the parent node when the second packet needs to be transmitted from the parent node to the child node.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 16, wherein the method further comprises the step of:

reserving a packet receiving period by the child node for receiving the second packet after receiving the synchronization signal.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 19, wherein the packet receiving period is twice as long as a time requirement for receiving a probably longest packet.