Slot-based transmission synchronization mechanism in wireless mesh networks
First Claim
1. In a routing node for use in a hierarchical mesh network, wherein the routing node is operative to implement a data slot transmission schedule controlling transmission of data between a parent routing node and at least one child routing node, a method for scheduling data transfer, the method comprisingreceiving, at the routing node, slot scheduling information from a parent routing node, wherein the slot scheduling information indicates one or more time slots during which the parent routing node has scheduled communications with the routing node;
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Abstract
Methods, apparatuses and systems directed to synchronizing transmissions among parent and child routing nodes in a hierarchical wireless mesh network. In one implementation, the present invention employs a time slot scheduling algorithm to coordinate communications between wireless nodes of a hierarchical tree. In one implementation, the present invention provides a wireless mesh network where slot scheduling information propagates throughout the mesh, while individual nodes in the mesh compute their respective time slot schedules based on this information and the current state of the network. In one such implementation, a parent routing node computes its slot schedule and transmits certain parameters to its child nodes (as opposed to the schedule itself). The child node(s) then iterates the same scheduling function based on the parameters passed to it to determine the slots with which it should communicate to its parent node and its child nodes.
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Citations
23 Claims
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1. In a routing node for use in a hierarchical mesh network, wherein the routing node is operative to implement a data slot transmission schedule controlling transmission of data between a parent routing node and at least one child routing node, a method for scheduling data transfer, the method comprising
receiving, at the routing node, slot scheduling information from a parent routing node, wherein the slot scheduling information indicates one or more time slots during which the parent routing node has scheduled communications with the routing node; - and
computing, for the routing node, a data slot transmission schedule that indicates time slots for transmission of data between the parent routing node and at least one child routing node based on the slot scheduling information received from the parent routing node and the number of child routing nodes associated with the routing node, such that the number of child routing nodes associated with the routing node scheduled in any cycle of the data slot transmission schedule is relatively prime to the number of child nodes associated with the parent routing node scheduled in the same cycle of the data slot transmission schedule. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A routing node for use in a hierarchical wireless mesh network, comprising
a network interface; -
one or more processors; a memory; a routing node application, stored in the memory, comprising instructions operable to cause the one or more processors and the apparatus to receive slot scheduling information from a parent routing node, wherein the slot scheduling information indicates one or more time slots during which the parent routing node has scheduled communications with the routing node; and compute a data slot transmission schedule that indicates time slots for transmission of data between the parent routing node and at least one child routing node based on the slot scheduling information received from the parent routing node and the number of child routing nodes associated with the routing node, such that the number of child routing nodes associated with the routing node scheduled in any cycle of the data slot transmission schedule is relatively prime to the number of child nodes associated with the parent routing node scheduled in the same cycle of the data slot transmission schedule. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A wireless routing node for use in a hierarchical wireless mesh network, comprising
means for wirelessly communicating with a parent routing node and at least one child routing node, and for receiving slot scheduling information from the parent routing node, wherein the slot scheduling information indicates one or more time slots during which the parent routing node has scheduled communications with the routing node; - and
means for computing a data slot transmission schedule that indicates time slots for transmission of data between the parent routing node and the at least one child routing node based on the slot scheduling information received from the parent routing node and the number of child routing nodes associated with the routing node, such that the number of child routing nodes associated with the routing node scheduled in any cycle of the data slot transmission schedule is relatively prime to the number of child nodes associated with the parent routing node scheduled in the same cycle of the data slot transmission schedule. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification