Multi-path radio transmission input/output devices, network, systems and methods with on demand, prioritized routing protocol

• US 9,832,707 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2013
• Issued: 11/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Natbreway Pty Ltd
• Original Assignee: Cooper Technologies Company (Eaton Corporation PLC.)
• Inventors: Courtice, Harry John
• Primary Examiner(s): Oveissi, David
• Application Number:
  US14/055,973
• Publication Number:
  US 20140036694A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,503 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/122 by minimising distances, e.g. by selecting a route with minimum of number of hops
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/12 based on transmission quality or channel quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/246 Connectivity information discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/28 for reactive routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Devices, networks, systems and methods for coordinating industrial control and monitoring communications on multi-path radio frequency transmission mesh networks include establishing path metrics allowing a respective comparison of a plurality of available communication paths between neighboring radios communicating in the mesh network. Replies to route requests may be delayed based on the path metrics of available paths for message transmission to ensure that the best available connection routes through the mesh network can be understood and utilized.

Claims

1. A multi-path radio communications network for monitoring and controlling an industrial process, the network comprising:

a plurality of processor-based radio devices configured to wirelessly communicate in a mesh network wherein each radio communicates with multiple other radio devices in the mesh network, and at least one of the plurality of processor-based radio devices is configured to;

receive a route request from a source radio including a destination for a proposed communication over the network;

determine whether an available path to the destination exists from the processor-based radio device to the destination; and

when an available path to the destination exists, generate and transmit a route reply message to the source radio according to a prioritized communication protocol after a time delay including at least a predetermined amount of time delay, the predetermined amount of delay being dependent on a path metric corresponding to the available path and corresponding to a selected one of a plurality of successive response time windows.

2. The multi-path radio communications network of claim 1, wherein the path metric corresponds to a relative desirability of the available path to the destination as compared with other available paths in the mesh network.

3. The multi-path radio communications network of claim 1, wherein the path metric comprises an integer representing a number of radio station signal paths required to complete a communication to the destination, and wherein the predetermined amount of time delay is equal to the product of the integer and a predetermined time duration.

4. The multi-path radio communications network of claim 1, wherein the path metric corresponds to a distance between the at least one of the processor-based radio device and the destination.

5. The multi-path radio communications network of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the processor-based radio devices is further configured to add a randomly determined additional amount of time delay to the predetermined amount of time delay.

6. The multi-path radio communications network of claim 5, wherein the randomly determined additional amount of delay corresponds to a randomly selected one of a number of time slots for response.

7. The multi-path radio communications network of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the processor-based radio devices is further configured to, when no available path exists to the destination, forward the route request message at a point in time after route reply messages are sent by other ones of the plurality of processor-based radio devices according to the prioritized communication protocol.

8. The multi-path radio communications network of claim 7, wherein the at least one of the processor-based radio devices is further configured to introduce a randomly determined amount of delay to the point in time after route reply messages are sent, and forward the route request message after the randomly determined amount of delay expires.

9. The multi-path radio communications network of claim 7, wherein the processor-based radio devices are further configured to introduce an additional amount of delay to the point in time after all route reply messages are sent, the additional amount of delay corresponding to a randomly selected one of a number of time slots for response.

10. The multi-path radio communications network of claim 1, wherein the at least one of the processor-based radio devices is further configured to:

when the radio device is the destination device, generate and transmit a route reply message to the source radio without delay.

11. The multi-path radio communications network of claim 1, wherein the predetermined time delay is selected to avoid a collision of route reply messages between the at least one of the plurality of processor-based radio devices and other ones of the plurality of processor-based radio devices.

12. The multi-path radio communications network of claim 11, wherein the predetermined delay is defined to avoid a possibility of clashing route reply messages amongst the plurality of processor-based radio devices regarding respective paths having the same metric.

13. The multi-path radio communications network of claim 1, wherein the predetermined time delay is selected to avoid an overlap in time between route reply messages amongst the plurality of processor-based radio devices regarding respective paths having different metrics.

14. A multi-path radio communications system comprising:

a plurality of processor-based radio devices configured to wirelessly communicate with one another in a mesh network having a frequency hopping spread spectrum topology, each of the plurality of processor-based radio devices configured to;

receive a route request from a source radio including a destination for a proposed communication over the network;

determine whether an available path to the destination exists; and

when only an indirect path to the destination exists, generate and transmit a route reply message to the source radio according to a prioritized communication protocol incorporating a predetermined amount of time delay corresponding to a selected one of a plurality of predetermined time windows for response.

15. The multi-path radio communications system of claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of processor-based radio devices is further configured to:

when a direct path to the destination exists, generate and transmit a route reply message to the source radio without delay.

16. The multi-path radio communications system of claim 14, wherein each of the plurality of processor-based radio devices is further configured to:

when no available path to the destination exists, forward the route request after expiration of all of the plurality of predetermined time windows for response.

17. The multi-path radio communications system of claim 14, wherein a path metric is associated with each one of the plurality of predetermined time windows for response, and the path metrics correspond to a relative desirability of multiple indirect signal paths to the destination.

18. The multi-path radio communications system of claim 17, wherein the path metric associated with each one of the plurality of predetermined time windows is an integer representing a number of radio station signal paths required to complete a communication to the destination.

19. The multi-path radio communications system of claim 17, wherein the path metric associated with each one of the plurality of predetermined time windows corresponds to a distance between each processor-based radio device and the destination.

20. The multi-path radio communications system of claim 19, wherein successive ones of the plurality of predetermined time windows for response define an increased amount of predetermined time delay in transmission of the route reply message.

21. The multi-path radio communications system of claim 14, wherein the plurality of processor-based radio devices are further configured to introduce a randomly determined additional amount of delay prior to transmitting the route reply message in each of the plurality of predetermined time windows for response.

22. The multi-path radio communications network of claim 14, wherein the plurality of predetermined time windows for response are selected to avoid a collision of route reply messages from other ones of the plurality of processor-based radio devices that receive the route request from the source radio.

23. The multi-path radio communications network of claim 22, wherein the plurality of predetermined time windows are subdivided to avoid a possibility of clashing route reply messages from different ones of the of the plurality of processor-based radio devices regarding respectively different paths having the same metric.

24. The multi-path radio communications network of claim 14, wherein the plurality of predetermined time windows for response are defined to avoid an overlap in time between route reply messages from different ones of the of the plurality of processor-based radio devices regarding respectively different paths each having different metrics.

25. A method for prioritizing communications between radio devices in a multi-path radio communications system including a plurality of processor-based radio devices configured to wirelessly communicate with one another in a mesh network, the method implemented in multiple processor-based station radio devices and comprising:

receiving, with the multiple processor-based station radio devices, a route request generated by a source radio, wherein the route request includes a destination for a proposed communication over the network;

determining whether an available path to the destination exists from the multiple processor-based station radio devices; and

prioritizing a transmission of route replies to the source radio from respective ones of the multiple processor-based station radio devices wherein available paths to the destination are determined to exist, wherein prioritizing the transmission of route replies to the source radio comprises delaying transmission of route replies by at least a predetermined amount of time based on a path metric for each respective one of the processor-based station radio devices,

wherein delaying transmission of route replies comprises retrieving the path metric by each processor-based radio device and responding with each respective route reply for the respective processor-based station radios in one of a predetermined plurality of route reply transmission windows based on the path metric.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising, when an available path to the destination is not determined to exist from at least one of the processor-based station radio devices, delaying transmission of forwarded route request messages by the at least one of the processor-based station radio devices until after prioritized transmission of route replies have been transmitted to the source radio.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein delaying transmission of forwarded route request messages after prioritized transmission of route replies have been transmitted further comprises adding an additional amount of delay after the prioritized transmission of route replies has been transmitted.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein delaying transmission of route replies further comprises introducing an additional amount of delay prior to responding with each respective route reply in each route reply transmission window.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein prioritizing the transmission of route replies to the source radio comprises sending a route reply without delay when one of the processor-based station radio devices is the destination.

30. The method of claim 25, wherein delaying transmission of route replies based on a path metric for each respective one of the processor-based station radio devices comprises delaying transmission of route replies to avoid a collision of route reply messages from other ones of the plurality of processor-based radio devices.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein delaying transmission of route replies to avoid a collision of route reply messages from other ones of the plurality of processor-based radio devices comprises delaying transmission of route replies to avoid a possibility of clashing route reply messages from the other ones of the plurality of processor-based radio devices regarding paths having the same metric.

32. The method of claim 25, wherein delaying transmission of route replies based on a path metric for each respective one of the processor-based station radio devices comprises delaying transmission of route replies to avoid an overlap in time between route reply messages for respective ones of the plurality of processor-based radio devices involving paths having different metrics.