Mesh network management system

• US 8,553,536 B2
• Filed: 07/12/2011
• Issued: 10/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Infrastructure Technology, LLC (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Mayo, Thomas Clayton, Wright, Aaron Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): ROSE, KERRI M
• Application Number:
  US13/180,816
• Publication Number:
  US 20130016654A1
• Time in Patent Office: 819 Days
• Field of Search: 370/310, 370/312, 370/216, 370/225, 370/228, 714/746, 714/748, 714/749
• US Class Current: 370/225
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/16 Multipoint routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/25 using a mesh network, e.g. a public urban network such as public lighting, bus stops or traffic lights
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/60 for transmitting utility meters data, i.e. transmission of data from the reader of the utility meter
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Aspects of the invention provide for a mesh network management system. In one embodiment, a system is disclosed having: at least one computing device adapted to manage a wireless mesh network by performing the actions comprising: sending data including a plurality of fragments over a network to a plurality of Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) nodes, wherein the data is sent a predetermined number of times; receiving, from the plurality of AMI nodes, a message regarding the plurality of fragments of the data; and sending, in response to receiving the message, fragments of the data that were not received by the plurality of AMI nodes.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

at least one computing device adapted to manage a wireless mesh network by performing the actions comprising;

sending data including a plurality of fragments over a network to a plurality of mesh network nodes, wherein the data is sent a predetermined number of times and wherein the predetermined number is at least two;

receiving, from the plurality of mesh network nodes, a message regarding the plurality of fragments of the data after the data including the plurality of fragments is sent the predetermined number of times; and

sending, in response to receiving the message, fragments of the data that were not received by the plurality of mesh network nodes.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the sending of the data including the plurality of fragments over the network to the plurality of mesh network nodes includes one of broadcasting the data to all of the plurality of mesh network nodes or multicasting the data to a subgroup of the plurality of mesh network nodes.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of mesh network nodes include Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) nodes.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the multicasting of the data to the subgroup of the plurality of mesh network nodes includes initially broadcasting a header that indicates the subgroup of the plurality of mesh network nodes.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein sending the data further includes initially sending to the plurality of mesh network nodes a header that has a list of expected fragments.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the data includes one of:

a firmware update, a configuration file, or a data file.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the message includes a list of fragments of the data that were not received by the plurality of mesh network nodes.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the message includes a list of fragments of the data that were successfully received by the plurality of mesh network nodes.

9. A program product stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium, which when executed by at least one computing device, performs the following:

sends data including a plurality of fragments over a network to a plurality of mesh network nodes, wherein the data is sent a predetermined number of times and wherein the predetermined number is at least two;

receives, from the plurality of mesh network nodes, a message regarding the plurality of fragments of the data after the data including the plurality of fragments is sent the predetermined number of times; and

sends, in response to receiving the message, fragments of the data that were not received by the plurality of mesh network nodes.

10. The program product of claim 9, wherein the sending of the data including the plurality of fragments over the network to the plurality of mesh network nodes includes one of broadcasting the data to all of the plurality of mesh network nodes or multicasting the data to a subgroup of the plurality of mesh network nodes.

11. The program product of claim 9, wherein the plurality of mesh network nodes include Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) nodes.

12. The program product of claim 10, wherein the multicasting of the data to the subgroup of the plurality of mesh network nodes includes initially broadcasting a header that indicates the subgroup of the plurality of mesh network nodes.

13. The program product of claim 9, wherein sending the data further includes initially sending to the plurality of mesh network nodes a header that has a list of expected fragments.

14. The program product of claim 9, wherein the data includes one of:

a firmware update, a configuration file, or a data file.

15. The program product of claim 9, wherein the message includes a list of fragments of the data that were not received by the plurality of mesh network nodes.

16. The program product of claim 9, wherein the message includes a list of fragments of the data that were successfully received by the plurality of mesh network nodes.

17. A system comprising:

at least one computing device adapted to manage a wireless mesh network by performing the actions comprising;

broadcasting data including a plurality of fragments over a network to a plurality of mesh network nodes, wherein the data is sent a predetermined number of times and wherein the predetermined number is at least two;

receiving, from the plurality of mesh network nodes, a message regarding the plurality of fragments of the data after the data including the plurality of fragments is sent the predetermined number of times; and

broadcasting, in response to receiving the message, fragments of the data that were not received by the plurality of mesh network nodes.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein broadcasting the data further includes initially sending to the plurality of mesh network nodes a header that has a list of expected fragments.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the data includes one of:

a firmware update, a configuration file, or a data file.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the plurality of mesh network nodes include Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) nodes.