Systems and methods for wirelessly communicating multidrop packets via wireless networks

• US 9,083,523 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2009
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synapse Wireless Incorporated (Mcwane Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: ADTRAN Incorporated (ADTRAN Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Banks, Kevin R., Ewing, David B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mills, Donald
• Assistant Examiner(s): Baron, Henry
• Application Number:
  US12/463,073
• Publication Number:
  US 20100074175A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,258 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328, 370/310, 370/406, 370/408
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1867 Arrangements specially adapted for the transmitter end
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0093 Point-to-multipoint
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/10 based on available power or energy
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/24 Connectivity information management, e.g. connectivity discovery or connectivity update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0209 in terminal devices terminal devices per se H04W88/02
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The present disclosure generally pertains to systems and methods for wirelessly communicating multidrop packets via wireless networks. In one exemplary embodiment, communication devices of a multidrop system are respectively coupled to nodes of a wireless network. At least one of the nodes stores data for mapping multidrop addresses to network addresses. Upon receiving a multidrop packet, such node maps the multidrop address of the received packet to a network address identifying the packet'"'"'s destination communication device within the multidrop system. The receiving node then inserts the multidrop packet into a unicast message and wirelessly transmits the unicast message through the wireless network to the remote node. The remote node depacketizes the unicast message to recover the multidrop packet and provides the multidrop packet to its destination.

Claims

1. A communication system, comprising:

a wireless network having a plurality of nodes including at least a first node and a second node, each of the plurality of nodes identified by a respective network address of the wireless network;

a first communication device of a multidrop system, the first communication device identified by a multidrop address of the multidrop system and coupled to the first node by a first data connection; and

a plurality of communication devices of the multidrop system, including at least a second communication device and a third communication device, the second communication device coupled to the second node by a second data connection, each of the plurality of communication devices identified by a respective multidrop address of the multidrop system and coupled to a respective one of the plurality of nodes,

wherein the first node is configured to store data for mapping multidrop addresses of the plurality of communication devices to network addresses of the plurality of nodes, wherein the first communication device is configured to transmit, across the first data connection to the first node, multidrop packets for each of the plurality of communication devices, the multidrop packets including at least a first multidrop packet and a second multidrop packet, wherein the first multidrop packet has a multidrop address identifying the second communication device as a destination of the first multidrop packet, wherein the first node is configured to map, based on the data, the multidrop address of the first multidrop packet to a network address identifying the second node coupled to the second communication device, wherein the first node is configured to define a network packet based on the first multidrop packet, the network packet compatible with the wireless network and having header information and payload information, the header information comprising the network address identifying the second node and the payload information comprising the first multidrop packet, wherein the first node is configured to wirelessly transmit the network packet through the wireless network, wherein the plurality of nodes are configured to communicate the network packet through the wireless network to the second node based on the network address identifying the second node, wherein the second node is configured to depacketize the network packet thereby recovering the first multidrop packet and to transmit the first multidrop packet to the second communication device across the second data connection.

2. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the first communication device is configured to transmit the first multidrop packet in accordance with RS-485 protocol across the first data connection.

3. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the second multidrop packet has a multidrop address identifying the second communication device as a destination of the second multidrop packet, and wherein the first node is configured to wirelessly transmit a multicast message through the wireless network in response to the second multidrop packet.

4. The communication system of claim 3, wherein the multicast message is a multidrop discovery message.

5. The communication system of claim 3, wherein the second node is configured to receive the multicast message and to wirelessly transmit a unicast message through the wireless network to the first node in response the multicast message, and wherein the first node is configured to update the data based on the unicast message transmitted by the second node such that the data includes a mapping for mapping the multidrop address identifying the second communication device to the network address identifying the second node.

6. The communication system of claim 3, wherein the first node is configured to insert the second multidrop message into the multicast message.

24. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the second multidrop packet has the multidrop address identifying the second communication device, wherein the first node is configured to search the mapping data for the multidrop address identifying the second communication device in response to the second multidrop packet, wherein the first node is configured to transmit a multidrop discovery message in response to a determination that the multidrop address identifying the second communication device is not in the mapping data, wherein the multidrop discovery message is a multicast message, wherein the second communication device is configured to transmit a reply to the multidrop discovery message, wherein the reply includes the network address of the first node, and wherein the first node is configured to update the mapping data such that the multidrop address identifying the second communication device is mapped to the network address identifying the second node.

25. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the second and third communication devices are slaves of the multidrop system, and wherein the first communication device is a master for controlling the slaves.

26. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the network packet is a unicast message.

7. A network node of a wireless network, comprising:

memory configured to store data mapping multidrop addresses of a multidrop system to network addresses of the wireless network; and

logic configured to receive, from a first communication device of the multidrop system, a plurality of multidrop packets, including at least a first multidrop packet and a second multidrop packet, for each of a plurality of communication devices of the multidrop system, including at least a second communication device and a third communication device, each of the multidrop packets having a multidrop address identifying a respective one of the plurality of communication devices and the first multidrop packet having a multidrop address identifying the second communication device, the logic further configured to map, based on the data, the multidrop address of the first multidrop packet to a network address identifying a remote node of the wireless network, the remote node coupled to the second communication device, the logic configured to wirelessly transmit a network packet through the wireless network to the remote node based on the first multidrop packet, wherein the network packet is compatible with the wireless network and has header information and payload information, the header information comprising the network address identifying the remote node and the payload information comprising the first multidrop packet.

8. The network node of claim 7, wherein the first communication device is configured to transmit the first multidrop packet in accordance with RS-485 protocol.

9. The network node of claim 7, wherein the network node is coupled to the first communication device by a data connection, and wherein the logic is configured to receive each of the multidrop packets from the data connection.

10. The network node of claim 7, wherein the second multidrop packet has a multidrop address identifying the second communication device, wherein the logic is configured to wirelessly transmit a multicast message through the wireless network to the remote node in response to the second multidrop packet.

11. The network node of claim 10, wherein the multicast message is a multidrop discovery message.

12. The network node of claim 10, wherein the logic is configured to receive a unicast message transmitted from the remote node in response to the multicast message, and wherein the logic is configured to update the data based on the unicast message transmitted from the remote node such that the data includes a mapping for mapping the multidrop address identifying the second communication device to the network address identifying the remote node.

13. The network node of claim 10, wherein the logic is configured to insert the second multidrop packet into the multicast message.

14. A method for communicating in a multidrop system, comprising the steps of:

storing in memory data for mapping multidrop addresses of the multidrop system to network addresses of a wireless network;

transmitting, from a first communication device of the multidrop system to a first node of the wireless network, a plurality of multidrop packets to be communicated to a plurality of communication devices of the multidrop system, the plurality of multidrop packets including at least a first multidrop packet and a second multidrop packet and the plurality of communication devices including at least a second communication device and a third communication device, each of the multidrop packets having a multidrop address identifying a respective one of the plurality of communication devices;

mapping, at the first node based on the data, a multidrop address of the first multidrop packet to a network address identifying a second node of the wireless network, wherein the multidrop address of the first multidrop packet identifies the second communication device, and wherein the second node is coupled to the second communication device by a data connection;

wirelessly transmitting a network packet from the first node based on the first multidrop packet, the network packet compatible with the wireless network and having header information and payload information, the header information comprising the network address of the second node and the payload information comprising the first multidrop packet;

communicating the network packet through the wireless network to the second node based on the network address of the second node;

depacketizing the network packet at the second node, thereby recovering the first multidrop packet; and

transmitting the first multidrop packet from the second node to the second communication device across the data connection.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of transmitting the first multidrop packet in accordance with RS-485 protocol.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the transmitting step further comprises the step of transmitting each of the plurality of multidrop packets across a data connection coupled to the first communication device.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the second multidrop packet has a multidrop address identifying the second communication device, and wherein the method further comprises the step of wirelessly transmitting a multicast message through the wireless network in response to the second multidrop message.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

receiving the multicast message at the second node;

wirelessly transmitting a unicast message from the second node through the wireless network in response to the multicast message; and

updating the data based on the unicast message wirelessly transmitted from the second node such that the data includes a mapping for mapping the multidrop address identifying the second communication device to the network address identifying the second node.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of inserting the second multidrop packet into the multicast message.

20. A method for retrofitting a multidrop system with a wireless network, the multidrop system having a first communication device, a second communication device, and a third communication device, the first communication device coupled to the second and third communication devices by a data connection and configured to transmit multidrop packets to the second and third communication devices across the data connection, the method comprising the steps of:

coupling a first node of the wireless network to the first communication device;

coupling a second node of the wireless network to the second communication device;

coupling a third node of the wireless network to the third communication device;

mapping a multidrop address identifying the second communication device to a network address identifying the second node;

mapping a multidrop address identifying the third communication device to a network address identifying the third node;

transmitting a plurality of multidrop packets from the first communication device to the first node across a data connection coupling the first communication device to the first node;

packetizing the plurality of multidrop packets into network packets at the first node and based on the mapping steps, wherein each of the network packets is compatible with the wireless network and has header information and payload information, the header information of one of the network packets comprising the network address identifying the second node and the payload information of the one network packet comprising one of the plurality of multidrop packets;

wirelessly transmitting the network packets from the first node to the second and third nodes through the wireless network, wherein the wirelessly transmitting step comprises the step of wirelessly transmitting the one network packet through the wireless network to the second node based on the header information;

depacketizing the one network packet at the second node thereby recovering the one multidrop packet; and

transmitting the one multidrop packet from the second node to the second communication device across a data connection coupling the second communication device to the second node.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising the steps of:

building, at the first node, a mapping table for mapping multidrop addresses of the multidrop system to network addresses of the wireless network;

receiving, at the first node from the first communication device, a multidrop packet having the multidrop address identifying the second communication device;

searching the mapping table for the multidrop address identifying the second communication device in response to the receiving step;

determining whether the multidrop address identifying the second communication device is in the mapping table;

transmitting a multidrop discovery message based on the determining step, the multidrop discovery message including the multidrop address identifying the second communication device and a network address identifying the first node, wherein the multidrop discovery message is a multicast message;

receiving, at the first node from the second node, a reply to the multidrop discovery message, the reply including the network address identifying the second node; and

updating the mapping table based on the reply such that the multidrop address identifying the second communication device is mapped to the network address identifying the second node.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the second and third communication devices are slaves of the multidrop system, and wherein the first communication device is a master for controlling the slaves.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein each of the network packets is a respective unicast message.

27. The method of claim 20, wherein the data connection coupling the first communication device to the second and third communication devices is arranged such that each message transmitted by the first communication device across the data connection coupling the first communication device to the second and third communication devices is received by both the second and third communication devices.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the one network packet defines a unicast message for the wireless network.