Dynamically managing and reconfiguring wireless mesh networks

• US 8,831,623 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2012
• Issued: 09/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Weigand, Gilbert G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao, Minh D
• Application Number:
  US13/730,282
• Publication Number:
  US 20130210473A1
• Time in Patent Office: 620 Days
• Field of Search: 455/452.1, 455/452.2, 455/450, 455/453, 455/455, 455/464, 455/509, 455/335, 455/468, 370/231, 370/335, 370/468
• US Class Current: 455/452.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0681 Configuration of triggering conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0882 Utilisation of link capacity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0888 Throughput
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0058 Allocation criteria
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/18 Network planning tools
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/021 in wireless networks with changing topologies, e.g. ad-hoc networks self-organizing networks H04W84/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/06 based on characteristics of available antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/22 using selective relaying for reaching a BTS [Base Transceiver Station] or an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A wireless network with multiple subscriber systems in a lobe pool may operate by determining a state of the wireless network, identifying a new condition, the new condition including a new demand condition or a new network health condition, determining whether the new condition has a threshold impact on operations of the wireless network or component subscriber systems of the wireless network, and if the threshold impact exists, reconfiguring the wireless network to accommodate the new condition.

Claims

1. A computing device having a processor configured to manage an event in a wireless mesh network, the computing device being configured to:

receive a request from a first wireless node outside of the wireless mesh network to support an event that would consume available bandwidth of the wireless mesh network in a first configuration;

determine an impact on the wireless mesh network that would result from accommodating the requested event;

determine whether the impact on the wireless mesh network is greater than a threshold; and

if the impact is greater than the threshold, identify a second configuration of the wireless mesh network that would reduce the impact below the threshold while accommodating the requested event.

2. The computing device of claim 1, further configured to reconfigure the wireless mesh network to the second configuration.

3. The computing device of claim 1, further configured to accommodate the requested event without reconfiguring the wireless mesh network if the impact is below the threshold.

4. The computing device of claim 1, further configured to receive the request to accommodate the event by receiving a request to carry data traffic associated with the first wireless node generating the request.

5. The computing device of claim 1, further configured to receiving the request to accommodate the event by receiving a request to respond to an adverse atmospheric condition affecting signal strength of the wireless mesh network.

6. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the wireless mesh network includes multiple wireless nodes and a base station.

7. The computing device of claim 6, wherein the wireless mesh network includes a first lobe pool that includes an aggregation of lobes established by the wireless nodes.

8. The computing device of claim 1, further configured to determine the impact of the request by:

determining parameters associated with the request;

determining a present state of the wireless mesh network; and

identifying a relationship between the parameters and the present state of the wireless mesh network.

9. The computing device of claim 8, further configured to determine parameters by identifying a transmission requirement.

10. The computing device of claim 8, further configured to determine the present state of the wireless mesh network by at least one of identifying a bandwidth utilization of the wireless mesh network, identifying transmission medium parameters, or identifying priority information associated with the request.

11. The computing device of claim 1, further configured to determine whether the impact is greater than the threshold by comparing parameters associated with the request with a present state of the wireless mesh network to determine whether the impact of the request is greater than the threshold.

12. The computing device of claim 1, further configured to determine whether a second wireless node of the wireless mesh network may be instructed to join another wireless network by:

identifying a second wireless node to be transferred from the wireless mesh network; and

determining whether the other wireless network can accommodate the second wireless node.

13. The computing device of claim 12, further configured to determine whether the second wireless network can accommodate the second wireless node by determining whether the second wireless network can support a data stream associated with the second wireless node.

14. The computing device of claim 13, further configured to send the second wireless node a message that directs the second wireless node to disconnect from the wireless mesh network and to connect to the second wireless network.

15. The computing device of claim 14, further configured to:

provide the second wireless node with antenna property information; and

instruct the second wireless node to reconfigure a property of an antenna based on the provided antenna property information.

16. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the event includes streaming data over the wireless mesh network.

17. One or more computer-readable storage devices embodying processor-executable instructions which, responsive to execution by at least one processor, are configured to enable a device to:

receive a request from a first wireless node outside of the wireless mesh network to support an event that would consume available bandwidth of the wireless mesh network in a first configuration;

determine an impact on the wireless mesh network that would result from accommodating the requested event;

determine whether the impact on the wireless mesh network is greater than a threshold; and

if the impact is greater than the threshold, identify a second configuration of the wireless mesh network that would reduce the impact below the threshold while accommodating the requested event.

18. The one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 17, wherein the processor-executable instructions are further configured to enable the device to reconfigure the wireless mesh network to the second configuration.

19. The one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 17, wherein the processor-executable instructions are further configured to enable the device to accommodate the requested event without reconfiguring the wireless mesh network if the impact is below the threshold.

20. The one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 17, wherein the processor-executable instructions are further configured to enable the device to determine the impact of the request by:

determining parameters associated with the request;

determining a present state of the wireless mesh network; and

identifying a relationship between the parameters and the present state of the wireless mesh network.