Communication method, transceiver stations and associated computer programs

• US 9,271,231 B2
• Filed: 11/25/2013
• Issued: 02/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schneider Electric Industries SAS (Schneider Electric SE)
• Original Assignee: Schneider Electric Industries SAS (Schneider Electric SE)
• Inventors: Nucci, Philippe
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore, Jr., Michael J
• Application Number:
  US14/088,953
• Publication Number:
  US 20140153552A1
• Time in Patent Office: 820 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0209 in terminal devices terminal devices per se H04W88/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0816 with collision avoidance
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 Master-slave selection or change arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method for communicating over a radio frequency channel in a network including a primary node and multiple secondary nodes for telecommunications comprises receiving, by a secondary node on the radio frequency channel, beacon messages sent by nodes in its radio neighborhood, each indicating a number of radio hops separating the primary node from the node of the radio neighborhood having sent the message, selecting, by the secondary node, called child node, the node from the wireless neighborhood having sent the beacon message indicating a minimum number of hops as the parent node, and in order to send information to the primary node, transmitting the information over the radio frequency channel to the parent node thus selected.

Claims

1. A communication method, over a radio frequency channel in a network including a primary node and multiple secondary nodes for telecommunications, comprising:

receiving, by a secondary node on the radio frequency channel, beacon messages sent by the primary node or the multiple secondary nodes in its radio neighborhood, each beacon message indicating a number of radio hops separating the primary node from a node that sends the beacon message;

selecting, by said secondary node, one node from among the primary node and the multiple secondary nodes that sends the beacon message indicating a minimum number of hops as a parent node, said secondary node being a child node; and

in order to send information to the primary node, transmitting said information over the radio frequency channel to said selected parent node,

wherein, in order to detect an emission at a first frequency of the beacon messages emitted by the primary node or the multiple secondary nodes in its radio neighborhood, a standard period with a length equal to an inverse of the first frequency is divided into several portions, a first portion and a second portion of the standard period being listened to by said secondary node, and said secondary node being put on standby for at least part of a time between the first portion and the second portion.

2. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein, in order to send said information to the primary node, said information is emitted by said secondary node only to said parent node.

3. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein said secondary node periodically emits a corresponding beacon message on the radio frequency channel indicating a number of radio hops separating said secondary node from the primary node, the number of radio hops separating said secondary node from the primary node being equal to a number of radio hops separating the primary node from the parent node plus one.

4. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein, to emit said information on the radio frequency channel to said parent node, the child node detects a corresponding beacon message periodically emitted by its parent node defining a beginning of a time window where said parent node is able to receive said information from the child node, the child node sending said information to the parent node during the time window.

5. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein the child node periodically emits a corresponding beacon message defining a beginning of a time window where it can receive information from a corresponding node in its wireless neighborhood.

6. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein a new portion is listened to as soon as said secondary node has a sufficient power level to listen to said new portion.

7. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein a size of at least one portion of the standard period depends on a current power supply level of said secondary node.

8. The communication method according to claim 1, further comprising monitoring heat of wiring systems, wherein

the primary node or the multiple secondary nodes are located at junctions of the wiring systems, and

the information includes data indicating at least temperatures measured by at least one temperature sensor.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, to be installed in a transceiver station to form a node capable of transmitting over a radio frequency channel, the node belonging to a network including a primary node and multiple secondary nodes for telecommunications, said non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions for carrying out steps of the method according to claim 1 when the instructions are run by a computer of said transceiver station.

9. A transceiver station, to form a node capable of transmitting and receiving on a radio frequency channel, the node belonging to a network including a primary node and multiple secondary nodes for telecommunications, said station comprising:

circuitry configured to;

receive beacon messages on the radio frequency channel that are transmitted by the primary node or the multiple secondary nodes in its radio neighborhood, each beacon message indicating a number of radio hops separating the primary node from a corresponding node that transmits the beacon message;

select, as a parent node of said node formed by the station, one node from among the primary node and the multiple secondary nodes that transmits the beacon message indicating a minimum number of hops, said node formed by the station being a child node; and

transmit information to said selected parent node on the radio frequency channel in order to send said information to the primary node,

wherein, in order to detect an emission at a first frequency of the beacon messages emitted by the primary node or the multiple secondary nodes in its radio neighborhood, a standard period with a length equal to an inverse of the first frequency is divided into several portions, a first portion and a second portion of the standard period being listened to by said node formed by the station, and said node formed by the station being put on standby for at least part of a time between the first portion and the second portion.

10. The transceiver station according to claim 9, wherein to send said information to the primary node, the circuitry is configured to transmit said information, through said node formed by the station, exclusively to said parent node.

11. The transceiver station according to claim 9, wherein the circuitry is configured to periodically transmit a corresponding beacon message on the radio frequency channel, indicating a number of radio hops separating the transceiver station from the primary node, the number of radio hops separating the transceiver station from the primary node being equal to a number of radio hops separating the primary node from its parent node plus one.

12. The transceiver station according to claim 9, wherein to transmit said information over the radio frequency channel to said parent node, the circuitry is configured to detect a corresponding beacon message periodically transmitted by its parent node, and define a beginning of a time window where said parent node is able to receive said information from the station, the station sending said information to the parent node during the time window.

13. The transceiver station according to claim 9, wherein the circuitry is configured to send a periodic beacon message defining a beginning of a time window where it is capable of receiving information from a corresponding node in its radio neighborhood.

14. The transceiver station according to claim 9, wherein the circuitry is configured to listen to a new portion as soon as it has a sufficient power level to listen to said new portion.

15. The transceiver station according to claim 9, wherein a size of at least one portion of the standard period depends on a current power level of the station.

16. The transceiver station according to claim 9, wherein the information sent by the parent node comprises an address for identifying the child node on the network.

17. The transceiver station according to claim 9, wherein the transceiver station is suitable for thermal monitoring of wiring systems, is located at a wiring system junction, and further comprises at least one temperature sensor, the information including data indicating at least temperatures measured by the at least one temperature sensor.