Mesh network operations

• US 8,902,745 B1
• Filed: 03/23/2012
• Issued: 12/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: Marvell International Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Inventors: Goel, Sandesh, Shukla, Ashish Kumar
• Primary Examiner(s): Mian, Omer S
• Application Number:
  US13/429,071
• Time in Patent Office: 984 Days
• Field of Search: 370/235, 370/230, 370/230.1, 370/237
• US Class Current: 370/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/123 Evaluation of link metrics techniques for monitoring network metrics H04L43/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• 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 28/16 Central resource management; Negotiation of resources or communication parameters, e.g. negotiating bandwidth or QoS [Quality of Service]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/08 based on transmission power
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/248 Connectivity information update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Various embodiments provide improved mesh networks with properties that address various shortcomings of current mesh network implementations. At least some embodiments are directed to improving operations of mesh networks in connection with battery powered devices and address concerns associated with latency issues due to power save nodes as well as load balancing. Yet other embodiments address route cache timeouts, reduce route discovery overhead, perform proactive route maintenance based on a node'"'"'s battery, and provide a straightforward battery-aware process based sleep protocol.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

initializing a link timeout in a node of a mesh network as a function of an initially received signal strength indication (RSSI); and

updating the link timeout as a function of one or more subsequent RSSIs, the updating comprising;

setting the link timeout to a low timeout value if the one or more subsequent RSSIs are less than or equal to an RSSI threshold;

setting the link timeout to a minimum of a high timeout value and an incremented timeout value if the one or more subsequent RSSIs are greater than the RSSI threshold and greater than or equal to the initially received RSSI, the incremented timeout value provided by incrementing a current timeout value;

setting the link timeout to a maximum of an average timeout value and a decremented timeout value if the one or more subsequent RSSIs are greater than the RSSI threshold and less than the initially received RSSI, the average timeout value being higher than the low timeout value and lower than the high timeout value, the decremented timeout value provided by decrementing the current timeout value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein initializing the link timeout is based on one or more configurable RSSI threshold parameters for a hardware capability of the node;

a signal distribution of a link for which the link timeout is initialized;

or a level of mobility of the node.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the one or more configurable RSSI threshold parameters include the low timeout value, the average timeout value, or the high timeout value.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the updating is performed each time a frame is received by the node on a particular link.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the mesh network operates in accordance with an IEEE 802.11s standard.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed by the node, the node being a mobile node or a fixed node of the mesh network.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein incrementing the current timeout value includes applying an additive or multiplicative operation to the current timeout value and decrementing the current timeout value includes applying a subtractive or dividing operation to the current timeout value.

7. A node device of a mesh network comprising a control processor and a wireless transceiver operative to:

initialize a timeout value for a communication link associated with another node of the mesh network as a function of an initial signal strength indication (RSSI) received from the other node; and

update the timeout value for the communication link as a function of one or more subsequent RSSIs received from the other node, the updating comprising;

setting the timeout value to a low timeout value if the one or more subsequent RSSIs are less than or equal to an RSSI threshold;

setting the timeout value to a minimum of a high timeout value and an incremented timeout value if the one or more subsequent RSSIs are greater than the RSSI threshold and greater than or equal to the initial RSSI received from the other node, the incremented timeout value provided by incrementing a current timeout value;

setting the timeout value to a maximum of an average timeout value and a decremented timeout value if the one or more subsequent RSSIs are greater than the RSSI threshold and less than the initial RSSI received from the other node, the average timeout value being higher than the low timeout value and lower than the high timeout value, the decremented timeout value provided by decrementing the current timeout value.

8. The node device of claim 7, wherein the timeout value is initialized using one or more configurable RSSI threshold parameters for a hardware capability of the node device, a signal distribution of the communication link, or a level of mobility of the node device.

9. The node device of claim 8, wherein the one or more configurable RSSI threshold parameters include the low timeout value, the average timeout value, or the high timeout value.

10. The node device of claim 7, wherein the updating is performed each time a frame is received on the communication link associated the other node.

11. The node device of claim 7, wherein the wireless transceiver is configured as a wireless local-area-network (WLAN) transceiver.

12. The node device of claim 7, wherein the node device is a mobile node or fixed node within the mesh network.

19. The node device of claim 7, wherein incrementing the current timeout value includes applying an additive or multiplicative operation to the current timeout value and decrementing the current timeout value includes applying a subtractive or dividing operation to the current timeout value.

13. One or more computer-readable memory devices embodying computer-executable instructions that, responsive to execution by one or more processors, cause a communication module of a node device to implement operations comprising:

initializing a timeout value for a communication link associated with one or more other nodes of a mesh network as a function of an initially received signal strength indication (RSSI); and

updating the timeout value for the communication link as a function of one or more subsequently received RSSIs, the updating comprising;

setting the timeout value to a low timeout value if the one or more subsequent RSSIs are less than or equal to an RSSI threshold;

setting the timeout value to a minimum of a high timeout value and an incremented timeout value if the one or more subsequent RSSIs are greater than the RSSI threshold and greater than or equal to the initial RSSI received from the other node, the incremented timeout value provided by incrementing a current timeout value;

setting the timeout value to a maximum of an average timeout value and a decremented timeout value if the one or more subsequent RSSIs are greater than the RSSI threshold and less than the initial RSSI received from the other node, the average timeout value being higher than the low timeout value and lower than the high timeout value, the decremented timeout value provided by decrementing the current timeout value.

14. The one or more computer-readable memory devices of claim 13, wherein the timeout value is initialized using one or more configurable RSSI threshold parameters that are configured based on a hardware capability of the node device, a signal distribution of the communication link, or a level of mobility of the node device.

15. The one or more computer-readable memory devices of claim 14, wherein the one or more configurable RSSI threshold parameters include the low timeout value, the average timeout value, or the high timeout value.

16. The one or more computer-readable memory devices of claim 13, wherein the updating is performed each time a frame is received on the communication link associated with the one or more other nodes.

17. The one or more computer-readable memory devices of claim 13, wherein the mesh network operates in accordance with an IEEE 802.11s standard.

20. The one or more computer-readable memory devices of claim 13, wherein incrementing the current timeout value includes applying an additive or multiplicative operation to the current timeout value and decrementing the current timeout value includes applying a subtractive or dividing operation to the current timeout value.