System, method and computer readable medium for communication on a Zigbee network

• US 8,780,917 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2008
• Issued: 07/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harman Professional, Inc. (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: David Alan Escamilla, James Roger Hargrave, Kelvin Hui Xu
• Inventors: Hargrave, James Roger, Xu, Kelvin Hui, Escamilla, David Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Taha, Shaq
• Application Number:
  US12/075,742
• Publication Number:
  US 20090092146A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,315 Days
• Field of Search: 370/394, 714/18, 714/748, 714/749
• US Class Current: 370/394
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/08 by repeating transmission, e.g. Verdan system H04L1/1858 and H04L1/189 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/12 by using return channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/625 for service slots or service orders
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/10 Flow control between communication endpoints
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

In a Zigbee network, reliable communications are provided by maintaining messages transmitted from a device in a message queue in the device. If no successful acknowledgement is received for a transmitted message, the message is re-transmitted when the message queue executes. Messages are deleted from the queue when the message is successfully transmitted or when a maximum number of re-tries has been exhausted.

Claims

1. A method for communicating on a Zigbee network, comprising:

transmitting a message from a first queue of a device;

determining whether the message has a message order requirement;

when the message has a message order requirement, transmitting the message from the first queue;

determining whether the message was successfully transmitted;

when the message was not successfully transmitted, determining when the message can be re-transmitted;

when the message can be re-transmitted determining whether there are any subsequent messages to be transmitted after the message;

when there are any subsequent messages to be transmitted after the message, storing the message and all subsequent messages as a batch of messages in a particular order in a second queue that is different from the first queue;

re-transmitting the message and transmitting all subsequent messages in the batch until the batch of messages is successfully transmitted or a maximum number of re-tries is reached;

wherein storing the transmitted message in the second queue comprises storing the message in a re-try queue and wherein the step of re-transmitting the message comprises executing the re-try queue; and

when the maximum number of re-tries requirement for the message has been met, deleting the message from the re-try queue.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein determining whether the message can be re-transmitted comprises determining when a maximum number of re-tries requirement has been met.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein the step of re-transmitting the message further comprises incrementing a re-try counter.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the re-try queue is executed periodically.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein each of a plurality of messages in the re-try queue are transmitted from the device sequentially.

6. The method according to claim 1 further comprising storing a message with a message order requirement in a batch re-try queue;

and executing the batch re-try queue.

7. A device for use on a Zigbee network, the device comprising:

at least one transmitter;

at least one processor; and

at least one memory;

wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit at least one message from a first queue;

wherein the processor is configured to determine whether the message has a message order requirement;

when the message has a message order requirement, the processor is configured to transmit the message from the first queue;

wherein the memory stores said transmitted message;

wherein the processor determines whether the message was transmitted successfully;

wherein when the message was not transmitted successfully, the processor determines when the message can be re-transmitted; and

wherein when the message can be re-transmitted the processor determines whether there are any subsequent messages to be transmitted after the message;

when there are any subsequent messages to be transmitted after the message, the memory stores the message and all subsequent messages as a batch of messages in a particular order in a second queue that is different from the first queue;

wherein the transmitter re-transmits the message and all subsequent messages in the batch until the batch of messages is successfully transmitted or a maximum number of re-tries is reached;

wherein the second queue is a re-try queue;

wherein the processor is configured to delete a message from the re-try queue when the processor determines that a maximum number of re-tries requirement has been met;

wherein the processor is configured to execute the re-try queue.

8. The device according to claim 7 further comprising a counter, wherein the processor determines whether a message can be re-transmitted using said counter.

9. The device according to claim 8 wherein the processor increments the counter when a message is re-transmitted.

10. The device according to claim 7 wherein the processor is configured to delete a message from the re-try queue when the processor determines that a message has been transmitted successfully.

11. The device according to claim 7 wherein the processor is configured to execute the re-try queue by causing messages in the re-try queue to be re-transmitted sequentially.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device comprising computer-executable instructions for execution by at least one processor of a device of a Zigbee network, that, when executed, causes the at least one processor to perform:

transmitting a message from a first queue of a device;

determining whether the message has a message order requirement;

when the message has a message order requirement, transmitting the message from the first queue;

determining whether the message was successfully transmitted;

when the message was not successfully transmitted, determining when the message can be re-transmitted;

when the message can be re-transmitted determining whether there are any subsequent messages to be transmitted after the message;

when there are any subsequent messages to be transmitted after the message, storing the message and all subsequent messages as a batch of messages in a particular order in a second queue that is different from the first queue;

re-transmitting the message and transmitting all subsequent messages in the batch until the batch of messages is successfully transmitted or a maximum number of re-tries is reached;

wherein storing the transmitted message in the second queue comprises storing the message in a re-try queue and wherein the step of re-transmitting the message comprises executing the re-try queue; and

when the maximum number of re-tries requirement for the message has been met, deleting the message from the re-try queue.