Wireless handheld configuration device for a securable wireless self-organizing mesh network

• US 9,167,423 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2007
• Issued: 10/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rosemount Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Rosemount Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Schnaare, Theodore Henry
• Primary Examiner(s): SCOTT, RANDY A
• Application Number:
  US11/818,128
• Publication Number:
  US 20080082698A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,051 Days
• Field of Search: 709/245, 709/250, 709/229, 370/278, 370/338
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/0471 Key exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/22 with access to wired networks

Abstract

A self-organizing mesh network is made up of individual devices configured to use other network devices to pass data from one point to another. The network also includes a secondary operating mode that accommodates handheld and other non-fixed transient network nodes. Each device in the network maintains a configuration link that is used to detect the presence of a handheld device. The handheld device uses the configuration link to identify nearby network devices. A user of the handheld device can then select one of the network devices and establish a small point-to-point subnetwork between the handheld device and the selected network device.

Claims

1. A wireless self-organizing network comprising:

a plurality of devices each configured to use one or more others of the plurality of devices to pass data over the network, each said device using a schedule provided by a network manager to talk with other said devices, and each said device having a common communication slot specified by the schedule for establishing a temporary point-to-point subnetwork without participation of the network manager to alter the schedule, wherein the common communication slot is separate from communication slots of the network used for data transfer among the plurality of devices according to the schedule; and

a handheld wireless communicator capable of communicating with the devices using the common communication slot to establish the temporary point-to-point subnetwork with one of the devices.

2. The network of claim 1, wherein the common communication slot is a common time and frequency shared by the devices for establishing communication with the handheld wireless communicator.

3. The network of claim 1, wherein the handheld wireless communicator builds a neighbor list of devices whose presence has been detected on the common communication slot.

4. The network of claim 3 wherein the handheld wireless communicator displays the neighbor list for user selection of the device with which the temporary point-to-point subnetwork is established.

5. The network of claim 4, wherein the handheld wireless communicator provides a join key and a network ID to the selected device.

6. The network of claim 1, wherein the temporary point-to-point subnetwork uses communication slots of the network not currently being used for passing data among the plurality devices according to the schedule.

7. The network of claim 1, wherein the handheld wireless communicator is configured to listen for temporary point-to-point subnetwork establishment communication on the common communication slot for a longer time period than the duration of the common communication slot specified by the schedule established by the network manager for the plurality of devices.

8. A wireless self-organizing mesh network of individual devices, the network comprising:

a network manager for establishing a primary operating mode and a communication schedule available to all of the individual devices in which data is passed over the mesh network using the individual devices; and

a configuration device capable of establishing a temporary point-to-point connection with a selected one of the individual devices using a secondary operating mode of the mesh network, the temporary point-to-point connection being able to operate without alteration of the communication schedule, wherein at least in the second operating mode each of the individual devices includes a common configuration slot specified by the communication schedule for establishing communication with the configuration device, and wherein the common configuration slot is separate from communication slots of the network used for data transfer among the individual devices according to the schedule.

9. The mesh network of claim 8, wherein the configuration slot comprises a time and frequency shared by the individual devices.

10. The mesh network of claim 8, wherein each individual device includes software that allows establishment of the temporary point-to-point connection between the individual device and the configuration device without participation of the network manager.

11. The mesh network of claim 8, wherein communications over the point-to-point connection between the individual device and the configuration device are secured through the use of a network encryption key.

12. The mesh network of claim 8, wherein the configuration device is configured to listen for temporary point-to-point connection establishment communication on the common configuration slot for a longer time period than the duration of the common configuration slot specified by the schedule established by the network manager for the individual devices.