On-demand medium to low transmission power channel switching in computer networks

• US 8,891,588 B1
• Filed: 08/06/2013
• Issued: 11/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hui, Jonathan W., Hong, Wei, Vasseur, Jean-Philippe
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khai
• Application Number:
  US13/960,639
• Time in Patent Office: 469 Days
• Field of Search: 375/133, 375/130, 375/134, 375/260, 370/390
• US Class Current: 375/133
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/713 using frequency hopping
• CPC Class Codes: H04J 3/0658 Clock or time synchronisation among packet nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/306 Route determination based on the nature of the carried application
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/48 Routing tree calculation

Abstract

In a multiple interface, low power and lossy network comprising a plurality of nodes, a low transmission power and medium transmission power topology are defined for the network and a channel-hopping schedule is defined for the devices operating in each topology. A sender determines that data is capable of being transmitted via a link on the low transmission power topology. The sender determines the transmission parameters for the transmission of the data over the link on the low transmission power topology and determines a low transmission power channel for transmission of the data. The sender transmits the determined channel and the transmission parameters to the receiver. The sender transmits the data via the determined channel in the low transmission power topology.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

in a low power and lossy network (LLN) comprising a plurality of devices, determining, by a sender device, that data for transmission to a receiver device is capable of being transmitted via a low-power channel;

determining, by the sender device, if the receiver device is listening on a low-power channel hopping schedule sufficient to transmit the data to the receiver device;

in response to determining that the receiver device is not listening on a low-power channel hopping schedule sufficient to transmit the data to the receiver device, transmitting, by the sender device, a control message to the receiver device via a channel-hopping schedule of the receiver device, wherein the control message instructs the receiver device to listen on the low-power channel hopping sequence; and

transmitting, by the sender device, the data to the receiver device via the low-power channel hopping schedule.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, receiving by the sender device an acknowledgement message from the receiver device in response to transmitting the control message.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the data is capable of being transmitted via the low-power channel comprises determining a latency sensitivity of the data.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining that the data is capable of being transmitted via the low-power channel comprises determining a link quality between the sender device and the receiver device.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining that the data is capable of being transmitted via the low-power channel comprises determining if a data size of the data is below a data size threshold.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the data is transmitted to the receiver device via the low-power channel hopping schedule prior to receiving the acknowledgement message.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the data is transmitted to the receiver device via the low-power channel hopping schedule after receiving the acknowledgement message.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the low-power channel hopping schedule comprises low-power channels.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the low-power channel hopping schedule comprises a high proportion of low-power channels to medium-power channels.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more network interfaces to communicate with a low power and lossy network (LLN);

a processor coupled to the network interfaces and adapted to execute one or more processes; and

a memory configured to store a process executable by the processor, the process when executed operable to;

determine that data for transmission to a receiver device is capable of being transmitted via a low-power channel;

determine if the receiver device is listening on a low-power channel hopping schedule sufficient to transmit the data to the receiver device;

transmit, in response to determining that the receiver device is not listing on a low-power channel sufficient to transmit the data to the receiver device, a control message to the receiver device via a channel-hopping schedule of the receiver device, wherein the control message instructs the receiver device to listen on the low-power channel hopping sequence;

receive an acknowledgement message from the receiver device, the acknowledgement message indicating the receiver device is now listening on the low-power channel; and

transmit the data to the receiver device via the low-power channel hopping schedule.

11. The apparatus as in claim 10, wherein determining that the data is capable of being transmitted via the low-power channel comprises determining a latency sensitivity of the data.

12. The apparatus as in claim 10, wherein determining that the data is capable of being transmitted via the low-power channel comprises determining a link quality between the apparatus and the receiver device.

13. The apparatus as in claim 10, wherein determining that the data is capable of being transmitted via the low-power channel comprises determining if a data size of the data is below a data size threshold.

14. The apparatus as in claim 10, wherein the low-power channel hopping schedule consists of low-power channels.

15. The apparatus as in claim 10, wherein the low-power channel hopping schedule comprises a higher proportion of low-power channels to medium-power channels.

16. A tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable media having software encoded thereon, the software when executed by a processor operable to:

in a low power and lossy network (LLN) comprising a plurality of nodes, determine that data for a receiver device is capable of being transmitted via a low-power channel;

determine if the receiver device is listening on a low-power channel hopping schedule sufficient to transmit the data to the receiver device;

transmit, in response to determining that the receiver device is not listing on a low-power channel sufficient to transmit the data to the receiver device, a control message to the receiver device via a channel-hopping schedule of the receiver device, wherein the control message instructs the receiver device to listen on the low-power channel hopping sequence;

receive an acknowledgement message from the receiver device, the acknowledgement message indicating the receiver device is now listening on the low-power channel; and

transmit the data to the receiver device via the low-power channel hopping schedule.

17. The computer-readable media as in claim 16, wherein determining that the data is capable of being transmitted via the low-power channel comprises determining a latency sensitivity of the data.

18. The computer-readable media as in claim 16, wherein determining that the data is capable of being transmitted via the low-power channel comprises determining a link quality with the receiver device.

19. The computer-readable media as in claim 16, wherein determining that the data is capable of being transmitted via the low-power channel comprises determining if a data size of the data is below a data size threshold.

20. The computer-readable media as in claim 16, wherein the low-power channel hopping schedule consists of low-power channels, or comprises a higher proportion of low-power channels to medium-power channels.