Multi-media multi-modulation and multi-data rate mesh network

• US 8,971,200 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2012
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Itron Global Sarl (Itron, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Itron, Inc.
• Inventors: Van Wyk, Hartman, Buffington, John
• Primary Examiner(s): LIU, JUNG
• Application Number:
  US13/648,095
• Publication Number:
  US 20140036702A1
• Time in Patent Office: 875 Days
• Field of Search: 370/203, 370204-215, 370229-240, 370310-337, 370338-350, 370351-394, 370/395.1, 370/395.3, 370/395.4, 370/395.41, 370/395.42, 370/395.5, 370/395.52, 370431-457, 370458-463, 370464-497, 370498-529, 370523-520
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/46 Monitoring; Testing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0823 Errors, e.g. transmission errors
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/26 by agreed or negotiated communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/12 based on transmission quality or channel quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A node having a multiple protocol receiver may listen to multiple links in parallel and determine a quality of links having multiple communication technologies between the node and multiple neighbor nodes. The multiple communication technologies may include radio frequency (RF) communication technologies and one or more power line communication (PLC) communication technologies. The node determines a link quality metric for each link associated with an optimum communication technology and data rate, and maintains availability information of neighbor nodes. The node may then route communications to neighbor nodes using the link quality metric and the availability information.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining a strength of received signals on communication links from neighbor nodes in a mesh network, the received signals including multiple different communication technologies, wherein the multiple different communication technologies include multiple different radio frequency (RF) communication technologies having different RF modulation schemes;

selecting a subset of the communication links based in part on the strength of the received signals;

exercising the subset of the communication links by sending data and receiving response data via each of the subset of the communication links;

analyzing the response data;

evaluating a link quality as a function of an available data rate of each of the subset of the communication links based in part on the analyzing;

determining a figure of merit (FOM) based at least in part on a combination of the link quality and the available data rate for each link in the subset of the communication links;

employing a routing protocol to select a communication link from the subset of the communication links for routing a data packet to a neighbor node based in part on the FOM associated with the selected communication link and an identified communications technology; and

transmitting the data packet to the neighbor node using the identified communication technology and the available data rate of the selected communication link.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the mesh network includes nodes of a low power and lossy network (LLN).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the multiple different communication technologies further include one or more power line communication (PLC) technologies.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending data and receiving response data is performed at available data rates of a communication technology used over each of the subset of the communication links.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the sending data and receiving response data is performed at available data rates of more than one communication technology used over one or more of the subset of the communication links.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the more than one communication technology includes a radio frequency (RF) communication technology and a power line communication (PLC) technology.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein evaluating the link quality comprises computing an expected transmission time (ETT) according to the following equation:

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the evaluating a link quality as a function of an available data rate includes determining a figure of merit (FOM) represented by a cross product of a communication success rate and an available data rate.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein link quality is evaluated using a FOM having a highest available data rate that optimizes the cross product.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising routing data to neighbor nodes based in part on the FOM associated with each link in the subset of the communication links.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining information including an availability, unavailability and duration of unavailability of nodes associated with the subset of communication links; and

maintaining information indicating the identified communication technology and the available data rate associated with the FOM for each link in the subset of the communication links.

12. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a node, configure the node to perform acts comprising:

determining, via a multi-protocol receiver of the node, a strength of received signals on communication links from neighbor nodes in a mesh network, the received signals including signals having multiple different radio frequency (RF) communication technologies and one or more power line communication (PLC) communication technologies;

selecting a subset of the communication links based in part on the strength of the received signals;

exercising the subset of the communication links by communicating data at available data rates of each of the subset of the communication links;

evaluating a link quality as a function of the available data rates for each of the subset of the communication links based in part on the communicating data;

determining a figure of merit (FOM) based in part on a combination of the link quality and the available data rate for each link in the subset of the communication links; and

routing a data packet to a neighbor node based in part on the FOM associated with each link in the subset of the communication links.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 12, wherein the exercising uses more than one communication technology of one or more of the subset of the communication links.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13, wherein the more than one communication technology includes:

an RF and a PLC communication technology;

or

a first RF communication technology and a second RF communication technology that differs from the first RF communication technology.

15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 13, the acts further comprising maintaining a record of the available data rate and communication technology associated with the determined FOM for the subset of the communication links.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 12, the acts further comprising:

maintaining a record of the determined FOM, available data rate and communication technology associated with the determined FOM for each of the subset of the communication links in a data store;

selecting one of the subset of the communication links for the routing of the data packet; and

transmitting the data packet using the available data rate and communication technology maintained in the data store for the selected one of the subset of the communication links.

17. A node of a mesh network, the node comprising:

one or more processors;

memory communicatively coupled to the one or more processors;

a radio with a multiple protocol receiver configured to listen in parallel to radio frequency (RF) communication links to neighbor nodes of the mesh network, the RF communication links to include different RF communication technologies;

a power line communications (PLC) transceiver configured to communicate with one or more of the neighbor nodes over PLC communication links via a PLC communication technology; and

one or more modules stored in the memory and executable on the one or more processors to;

determine a strength of received signals on communication links to include the RF communication links and the PLC communication links;

select a subset of the communication links based in part on the strength of the received signals;

exercise the subset of the communication links by communicating data at available data rates over each of the subset of the communication links;

determine a combination of a communication link successfulness and an available data rate for each of the subset of the communication links;

maintain information identifying an available data rate and a corresponding RF or PLC communication technology associated with the cross product of each of the subset of the communication links;

select a communication link from among the subset of the communication links to route a data packet to a neighbor node based in part on the information maintained regarding cross product associated with the selected communication link; and

direct transmission of the data packet to the neighbor node via the selected communication link.