Routing apparatus and method for configuring low-power wireless mesh network based on channel hopping time-multiplexed wireless link

• US 9,509,570 B2
• Filed: 06/20/2014
• Issued: 11/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Joo, Seong-Soon
• Primary Examiner(s): YOUNG, STEVE R
• Application Number:
  US14/310,140
• Publication Number:
  US 20140376375A1
• Time in Patent Office: 893 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/46 Cluster building
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a routing apparatus and method for configuring a LPWMN based on a channel hopping time-multiplexed wireless link. The routing apparatus of the present invention includes a control unit for setting up a channel hopping time-multiplexed wireless link with a gateway router, one or more routers, and one or more devices based on deterministic and synchronous multi-channel extension (DSME) media access control (MAC) link control (DSME MAC link control: DLC) sublayers and DSME MAC link network (DLN) sublayers. A communication unit transfers data frames to the gateway router, routers, and devices depending on connection quality of the channel hopping time-multiplexed wireless link.

Claims

1. A routing apparatus for configuring a low-power wireless mesh network (LPWMN) configured based on a channel hopping time-multiplexed wireless link, comprising:

a control unit for setting up a channel hopping time-multiplexed wireless link with a gateway router, one or more routers, and one or more devices based on deterministic and synchronous multi-channel extension (DSME) media access control (MAC) link control (DSME MAC link control;

DLC) sublayers and DSME MAC link network (DLN) sublayers; and

a communication unit for transferring data frames to the gateway router, routers, and devices based on data communication types through the channel hopping time-multiplexed wireless link,

wherein the control unit operates LPWMN primitives for allowing the routing apparatus to loin the LPWMN, set up a path of the channel hopping time-multiplexed wireless link, and leave the LPWMN,

wherein the LPWMN primitives comprise;

a DLN-START-NETWORK.request primitive for activating the LPWMN;

a DLN-START-ROUTER.request primitive for allowing the routers to loin the LPWMN;

a DLN-START-DEVICE.request primitive for allowing the devices to loin the LPWMN;

a DLC-DATA-CLINK.request primitive for allowing a cluster root router to request a cluster identifier allocation by transmitting a cluster formation request command;

a DLC-DATA-SLINK.request primitive for allowing the cluster root router to obtain a link network routing information by transmitting a link network management command frame containing a Route Update Request Type field set to a full cluster connectivity matrix; and

a DLC-LINK-SETUP.request primitive for allowing a higher layer of the DLC sublayer to request a setup of a link path,

wherein the link network routing information contains any one of a cluster configuration information, a route information, a link path information, and a neighbor link information,

wherein the cluster configuration information comprises a router address, a router extended address, a router reflector address, a depth, a maximum depth, a maximum children, a maximum routers, and a child cluster list,

wherein the route information comprises a destination address, and a link path list,

wherein the link path information comprises a link ID, and a link path cost, and

wherein the neighbor link information comprises a link ID, a link type, a neighbor address, a Rx superframe ID, a Rx slot ID, a Tx superframe ID, a Tx slot ID, a number slot, a link quality, and a frame count.

2. The routing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a cluster unit for grouping the routers and devices into clusters.

3. The routing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the DLC sublayer entity (DLCE) obtains information about a neighboring router from a route table, transmits a link setup request control frame to the neighboring router on a contention access period (CAP) link or a preset shared link, and requests the cluster root router to update route if no route is found in the route table.

4. The routing apparatus of claim 1, wherein a neighboring router sends a DSME guaranteed time slot (GTS) request MAC command frame to the device for allocation of the DSME GTS.

5. The routing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to, when the routing apparatus is the cluster root router based on the DLN sublayers, receive a cluster connectivity matrix information from the gateway router differing from the routing apparatus and join the LPWMN, and when the routing apparatus is not the cluster root router, receive the cluster connectivity matrix information from the cluster root router differing from the routing apparatus and joining the LPWMN.

6. The routing apparatus of claim 5, wherein the control unit receives, based on the DLC sublayers, the link network management command frame having a leave command payload from the cluster root router differing from the routing apparatus and then leaves the LPWMN.

7. The routing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication unit is configured to use the contention access period (CAP) link, and transfer data frames without checking transfer of the data frames and performing flow control in a case of a first type;

use the CAP link, check transfer of data frames, and transfer the data frames without performing flow control in a case of a second type;

use a shared link, and transfer data frames without checking transfer of the data frames and performing flow control in a case of a third type use the shared link, check transfer of data frames, and transfer the data frames without performing flow control in the case of a fourth type;

use a dedicated link, and transfer data frames without checking transfer of the data frames and performing flow control in a case of a fifth type; and

use the dedicated link, check transfer of data frames, and transfer the data frames without performing flow control in a case of a sixth type.

8. A method of configuring a low-power wireless mesh network (LPWMN) based on a channel hopping time-multiplexed wireless link, comprising:

setting up a channel hopping time-multiplexed wireless link with a gateway router, one or more routers, and one or more devices based on deterministic and synchronous multi-channel extension (DSME) media access control (MAC) link control (DSME MAC link control;

DLC) sublayers and DSME MAC link network (DLN) sublayers; and

transferring data frames to the gateway router, routers, and devices based on data communication types through the channel hopping time-multiplexed wireless link,

wherein setting up the channel hopping time-multiplexed wireless link comprises operating LPWMN primitives for allowing the routers and the devices to loin the LPWMN, set up a path of the channel hopping time-multiplexed wireless link, and leave the LPWMN,

wherein the LPWMN primitives comprise;

a DLN-START-NETWORK.request primitive for activating the LPWMN;

a DLN-START-ROUTER.request primitive for allowing the routers to loin the LPWMN;

a DLN-START-DEVICE.request primitive for allowing the devices to loin the LPWMN;

a DLC-DATA-CLINK.request primitive for allowing a cluster root router to request a cluster identifier allocation by transmitting a cluster formation request command;

a DLC-DATA-SLINK.request primitive for allowing the cluster root router to obtain a link network routing information by transmitting a link network management command frame containing the Route Update Request Type field set to a full cluster connectivity matrix; and

a DLC-LINK-SETUP.request primitive for allowing a higher layer of the DLC sublayer to request a setup of a link path,

wherein the link network routing information contains any one of a cluster configuration information, a route information, a link path information, and a neighbor link information,

wherein the cluster configuration information comprises a router address, a router extended address, a router reflector address, a depth, a maximum depth, a maximum children, a maximum routers, and a child cluster list,

wherein the route information comprises a destination address, and a link path list,

wherein the link path information comprises a link ID, and a link path cost, and

wherein the neighbor link information comprises a link ID, a link type, a neighbor address, a Rx superframe ID, a Rx slot ID, a Tx superframe ID, a Tx slot ID, a number slot, a link quality, and a frame count.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising grouping the routers and devices into clusters.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the DLC sublayer entity (DLCE) obtains information about a neighboring router from a route table, transmits a link setup request control frame to the neighboring router on a contention access period (CAP) link or a preset shared link, and requests the cluster root router to update route if no route is found in the route table.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein a neighboring router sends a DSME guaranteed time slot (GTS) request MAC command frame to the device for allocation of the DSME GTS.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein setting up the channel hopping timemultiplexed wireless link comprises, when the routing apparatus is the cluster root router based on the DLN sublayers, receiving a cluster connectivity matrix information from the gateway router differing from the routing apparatus and joining the LPWMN, and when the routing apparatus is not the cluster root router, receiving the cluster connectivity matrix information from the cluster root router differing from the routing apparatus and joining the LPWMN.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein setting up the channel hopping timemultiplexed wireless link comprises receiving, based on the DLC sublayers, the link network management command frame having a leave command payload from the cluster root router differing from the routing apparatus and then leaving the LPWMN.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein transferring the data frames is configured to use the contention access period (CAP) link, and transfer data frames without hecking transfer of the data frames and performing flow control in a case of a first type use the CAP link, check transfer of data frames, and transfer the data frames without performing flow control in a case of a second type;

use a shared link, and transfer data frames without checking transfer of the data frames and performing flow control in a case of a third type;

use the shared link, check transfer of data frames, and transfer the data frames without performing flow control in the case of a fourth type;

use a dedicated link, and transfer data frames without checking transfer of the data frames and performing flow control in a case of a fifth type; and

use the dedicated link, check transfer of data frames, and transfer the data frames without performing flow control in a case of a sixth type.