Mesh network operations

• US 9,072,047 B1
• Filed: 03/23/2012
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• 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): Hsu, Alpus H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thai, Camquyen
• Application Number:
  US13/429,090
• Time in Patent Office: 1,194 Days
• Field of Search: 455/445, 455/572, 455/405, 455/67.11, 455/522, 370/468, 370/338, 370/216, 370/311, 370/406
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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:

defining, at a node device of a mesh network, a battery threshold level for route maintenance actions;

comparing the node device'"'"'s battery level with the battery threshold level;

determining that the node device is in a low battery condition in response to the node device'"'"'s battery level being less than the battery threshold level;

initiating, in response to the node device being in the low battery condition, a timer for receiving a data packet with which a route error message (RERR) is transmittable;

if the data packet with which the RERR is transmittable is received, prior to the timer expiring, transmitting the packet and the RERR to another node device of the mesh network effective to cancel the timer; and

transmitting, if the timer expires before receiving the data packet, an explicit RERR to the other node devices of the mesh network in a precursor list associated with the mesh network, the explicit RERR indicating that the node device'"'"'s address in the mesh network is unreachable, the precursor list indicating which of the other node devices use the node device to forward data packets within the mesh network.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from one of the other node devices of the mesh network, a route request packet (RREQ); and

responsive to the node device being in the low battery condition, dropping the RREQ received from the other node device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the node device is a mobile device or fixed device of the mesh network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the mesh network is compliant with an IEEE 802.11s standard.

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

compare a battery level of the node device with a battery threshold level defined for the node device;

determine that the node device is in a low battery condition in response to the battery level of the node device being less than the battery threshold level;

initiate, in response to the node device being in the low battery condition, a timer for receiving a data packet with which a route error message (RERR) is transmittable;

if the data packet with which the RERR is transmittable is received, prior to the timer expiring, transmitting the packet and the RERR to another node device of the mesh network effective to cancel the timer; and

transmit, if the timer expires before receiving the data packet, an explicit RERR to other node devices of the mesh network in a precursor list associated with the mesh network, the explicit RERR indicating that the node device'"'"'s address in the mesh network is unreachable, the precursor list indicating which of the other node devices use the node device to forward data packets within the mesh network.

6. The node device of claim 5, wherein the other node devices to which the explicit RERR is transmitted include a source node device.

7. The node device of claim 5, wherein the explicit RERR is transmitted as a broadcast packet to the other node devices of the mesh network in the precursor list.

8. The node device of claim 5, wherein the control processor is further operable to define the battery threshold level.

9. The node device of claim 5, wherein the node device operates in compliance with an IEEE 802.11s standard.

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

compare a battery level of the node device with a battery threshold level defined for the node device;

determine that the node device is in a low battery condition in response to the battery level of the node device being less than the battery threshold level;

initiate, in response to the node device being in the low battery condition, a timer for receiving a data packet with which a route error message (RERR) is transmittable;

if the data packet with which the RERR is transmittable is received, prior to the timer expiring, transmitting the packet and the RERR to another node device of the mesh network effective to cancel the timer; and

the data packet is not received before expiration of the timer, transmit an explicit RERR to multiple other node devices of the mesh network in a precursor list associated with the mesh network effective to cause the multiple other node devices to attempt to use another communication route that does not include the node device, the precursor list indicating which of the multiple other node devices use the node device to forward data packets within the mesh network.

11. The one or more computer-readable memory devices of claim 10, further comprising additional computer-executable instructions that, responsive to execution by the one or more processors, cause the communication module of the node device to:

receive, from one of the other multiple node devices of the mesh network, a route request packet (RREQ); and

drop the RREQ in response to the node device being in the low battery condition.

12. The one or more computer-readable memory devices of claim 10, wherein the explicit RERR is transmitted to the multiple other node devices of the mesh network as a broadcast packet that indicates an address of the node device is unavailable.

13. The one or more computer-readable memory devices of claim 10, further embodying additional computer-executable instructions that, responsive to execution by the one or more processors, cause the communication module of the node device to define the battery threshold level for the node device.

14. The one or more computer-readable memory devices of claim 10, wherein the node device operates in compliance with an IEEE 802.11s standard.