Sensor data transport and consolidation within communication nodes in a network

• US 9,276,716 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2013
• Issued: 03/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Wetterwald, Patrick, Vasseur, Jean-Philippe, Thubert, Pascal
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo, Ricky
• Assistant Examiner(s): SAMUEL, DEWANDA A
• Application Number:
  US14/021,744
• Publication Number:
  US 20150071255A1
• Time in Patent Office: 904 Days
• Field of Search: 370/367, 370/238, 370/255, 370/256
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/46 Interconnection of networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/56 Packet switching systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 5/0037 Inter-user or inter-terminal allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/38 for collecting sensor information
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

In one embodiment, sensor data is transported in a network to a rendezvous point network node, which consolidates the information into a consolidated result which is communicated to the destination. Such consolidation by a network node reduces the number of paths required in the network between the sensors and the destination. One embodiment includes acquiring, by each of a plurality of originating nodes in a wireless deterministic network, external data related to a same physical event; communicating through the network said external data from each of the plurality of originating nodes to a rendezvous point network node (RP) within the network; processing, by the RP, said external data from each of the plurality of originating nodes to produce a consolidated result; and communicating the consolidated result to a destination node of the network. In one embodiment, the network is a low power lossy network (LLN).

Claims

1. A method comprising:

acquiring, by each of a plurality of originating nodes in a wireless deterministic network, external data related to a same physical event;

communicating through the network said external data from each of the plurality of originating nodes to a rendezvous point network node (RP) within the network;

processing, by the RP, said external data from each of the plurality of originating nodes to produce a consolidated result; and

communicating the consolidated result to a destination node of the network;

wherein said processing said external data includes excluding one or more of said external data received from one or more of the plurality of originating nodes based on an apparent error with said one or more of said external data received from one or more of the plurality of originating nodes.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the network is a low power lossy network (LLN).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of originating nodes includes a sensor or receives said external data from a different sensor.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least two of the plurality of originating nodes receive said external data from a same sensor.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising:

configuring the wireless deterministic network to communicate said external data from the plurality of originating nodes to the RP and the consolidated result from the RP to the destination node.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said configuring the wireless deterministic network includes determining, by a path computation engine external to the network, paths and time slots for said communicating said external data from the plurality of originating nodes to the RP and said communicating the consolidated result from the RP to the destination node.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the consolidated result is a single result.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the RP is on a shortest path between two of the originating nodes and the RP.

7. A method comprising:

configuring a wireless deterministic network to communicate external data from a plurality of originating nodes to a rendezvous point network node (RP) within the wireless deterministic network and a consolidated result from the RP to a destination node, with said configuring the wireless deterministic network includes determining, by a path computation engine external to the wireless deterministic network, paths and time slots for said communicating said external data from the plurality of originating nodes to the RP and said communicating the consolidated result from the RP to the destination node;

acquiring, by each of the plurality of originating nodes in the wireless deterministic network, said external data related to a same physical event;

communicating through the network said external data from each of the plurality of originating nodes to the RP;

processing, by the RP, said external data from each of the plurality of originating nodes to produce a consolidated result;

communicating the consolidated result to the destination node;

wherein the path computation engine provides a delay for performing said processing by the RP between a last time slot for receiving said external data from the plurality of originating nodes and a first time slot for sending the consolidated result to the destination node.

8. A method comprising:

notifying a path computation engine by each particular originating node of a plurality of originating nodes in a wireless deterministic network that said particular originating node will be acquiring data of external data;

in response receiving said notifications determining, by the path computation engine external to the wireless deterministic network, paths and time slots for communicating said external data from the plurality of originating nodes to a rendezvous point network node (RP) and communicating a consolidated result from the RP to a destination node;

configuring the wireless deterministic network to communicate said external data from the plurality of originating nodes to the RP and the consolidated result from the RP to the destination node;

acquiring, by each of the plurality of originating nodes in the wireless deterministic network, said external data related to a same physical event;

communicating through the network said external data from each of the plurality of originating nodes to the RP;

processing, by the RP, said external data from each of the plurality of originating nodes to produce a consolidated result;

communicating the consolidated result to the destination node.

9. A method comprising:

configuring a wireless deterministic network to communicate external data from a plurality of originating nodes to a rendezvous point network node (RP) within the wireless deterministic network and a consolidated result from the RP to a destination node, with said configuring the wireless deterministic network includes determining, by a path computation engine external to the wireless deterministic network, paths and time slots for said communicating said external data from the plurality of originating nodes to the RP and said communicating the consolidated result from the RP to the destination node;

acquiring, by each of the plurality of originating nodes in the wireless deterministic network, said external data related to a same physical event;

communicating through the network said external data from each of the plurality of originating nodes to the RP;

processing, by the RP, said external data from each of the plurality of originating nodes to produce a consolidated result;

communicating the consolidated result to the destination node; and

configuring the wireless deterministic network to communicate said external data from the plurality of originating nodes to a second RP and to communicate a second consolidated result determined by the second RP based on said external data to the destination node.

10. The method of claim 9, comprising receiving, by the path computation engine, a notification to use a new RP, with the notification being originated by the RP;

and wherein said configuration operation to use the second RP is performed in response to said receipt of the notification.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the RP generates the notification in response to identifying a node too busy or low on power condition.

12. A method comprising:

configuring a wireless deterministic network to communicate external data from a plurality of originating nodes to a rendezvous point network node (RP) within the wireless deterministic network and a consolidated result from the RP to a destination node;

acquiring, by each of the plurality of originating nodes in the wireless deterministic network, said external data related to a same physical event;

communicating through the network said external data from each of the plurality of originating nodes to the RP;

processing, by the RP, said external data from each of the plurality of originating nodes to produce a consolidated result;

communicating the consolidated result to the destination node; and

in response to determining that the RP no longer needs said external data from at least one of the plurality of originating nodes to produce the consolidated result, configuring the wireless deterministic network to communicate said external data from said at least one of the plurality of originating nodes to a second RP to use in producing a second consolidated result while the RP continues to process said external data received from the other of the plurality of originating nodes to produce the consolidated result.

14. A method comprising:

acquiring, by each of a plurality of originating nodes in a wireless deterministic network, external data related to a same physical event;

communicating through the network said external data from each of the plurality of originating nodes to a rendezvous point network node (RP) within the network;

processing, by the RP, said external data from each of the plurality of originating nodes to produce a consolidated result; and

communicating the consolidated result to a destination node of the network;

wherein said processing said external data includes taking an average of at least two of said external data.

16. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a rendezvous point network node (RP) in a wireless deterministic network, a plurality of packets including external data acquired by a plurality of different originating nodes in the network, with said external data including an instrumented result of a same physical event;

processing, by the RP, said received external data from each of the plurality of different originating nodes to generate a consolidated result; and

sending the consolidated result to a destination in the network;

wherein the RP said sends the consolidated result out on a time slot after a predefined delay for performing said processing after a last time slot on which one of said external data could be said received by the RP.

17. A method comprising:

receiving, by a path computation engine, a notification from each of a plurality of originating nodes in a wireless deterministic network that they will be generating external data related to a same physical event;

selecting, by the path computation engine, a rendezvous point network node (RP) to use to consolidate said external data received from the plurality of originating nodes based on a received consolidation-capable advertisement from the RP; and

determining, by the path computation engine, paths and time slots for communicating said external data from the plurality of originating nodes in a wireless deterministic network to the RP, and from the RP to a destination node in the network.