Mesh network commissioning

• US 9,999,090 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2015
• Issued: 06/12/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Turon, Martin A., Erickson, Grant M., Logue, Jay D., Hui, Jonathan Wing-Yan, Boross, Christopher Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Sefcheck, Gregory B
• Application Number:
  US14/873,331
• Publication Number:
  US 20160029290A1
• Time in Patent Office: 984 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/061 applying further key derivation, e.g. deriving traffic keys from a pair-wise master key cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for generation of secret information including derivation or calculation of cryptographic keys or passwords H04L9/0861
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/166 at the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/205 involving negotiation or determination of the one or more network security mechanisms to be used, e.g. by negotiation between the client and the server or between peers or by selection according to the capabilities of the entities involved negotiation of communication capabilities H04L69/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/146 Markers for unambiguous identification of a particular session, e.g. session cookie or URL-encoding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/164 Adaptation or special uses of UDP protocol
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/08 Key distribution or management, e.g. generation, sharing or updating, of cryptographic keys or passwords network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting key management in a packet data network H04L63/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0816 Key establishment, i.e. cryptographic processes or cryptographic protocols whereby a shared secret becomes available to two or more parties, for subsequent use
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/009 specially adapted for networks, e.g. wireless sensor networks, ad-hoc networks, RFID networks or cloud networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/033 of the user plane, e.g. user's traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/041 Key generation or derivation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/069 using certificates or pre-shared keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/088 using filters or firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/106 Packet or message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/108 Source integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/35 Protecting application or service provisioning, e.g. securing SIM application provisioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/37 Managing security policies for mobile devices or for controlling mobile applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/32 : for defining a routing cluster membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/51 : based on terminal or device properties
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 : Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 : Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• 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

Abstract

In embodiments of mesh network commissioning, a commissioning device of a mesh network can determine steering data for the mesh network, where the steering data is an indication of a device identifier associated with a device that is allowed to join the mesh network. The commissioning device can then propagate the steering data from the commissioning device for the mesh network to one or more routers in the mesh network, and the steering data indicates that a commissioner is active on the mesh network. The commissioning device propagating the steering data enables the one or more routers to transmit the steering data in a beacon message, and the steering data is effective to enable the device associated with the device identifier to identify that the device is allowed to join the mesh network.

Claims

1. A method of identifying devices that are allowed to join a mesh network, the method comprising:

receiving steering data for the mesh network at a joiner router, the steering data being;

determined by a commissioning device that is active as a commissioner for the mesh network, the steering data comprising an indication of a device identifier associated with, and unique to, a joining device that is allowed to join the mesh network, the steering data including an indication that the commissioner is active on the mesh network, and the steering data not including a Personal Area Network Identifier (PAN ID) for the mesh network; and

propagated from the commissioning device for the mesh network to one or more routers in the mesh network including the joiner router;

receiving a beacon request from the joining device;

transmitting the steering data in a beacon message, the steering data effective to enable the joining device associated with the unique device identifier to determine that the joining device is allowed to join the mesh network, the joining device not having prior knowledge of the PAN ID for the mesh network; and

based on the determination that the joining device is allowed to join the mesh network, receiving a join request from the joining device to join the mesh network.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the steering data comprises a 16 bit Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC16) of the device identifier.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the device identifier is an IEEE 64-bit Extended Unique Identifier (EUI-64).

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said determining the steering data for the mesh network further comprises determining the steering data for additional device identifiers associated with additional devices that are allowed to join the mesh network.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said propagating the steering data is effective to enable the joining device to distinguish the mesh network from other networks.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the other networks are IEEE 802.15.4 networks.

7. A mesh network device implemented as a commissioning device, the mesh network device comprising:

a mesh network interface configured for communication in a mesh network;

a memory and processor system to implement a commissioning application that is configured to;

determine steering data for the mesh network, the steering data comprising an indication of a device identifier associated with, and unique to, a joining device that is allowed to join the mesh network, the steering data including an indication that the commissioning device is active as a commissioner on the mesh network, and the steering data not including a Personal Area Network Identifier (PAN ID) for the mesh network; and

propagate the steering data from the commissioning device for the mesh network to one or more joiner routers in the mesh network, the propagation enabling the one or more joiner routers to transmit the steering data in a beacon message, the steering data being effective to enable the joining device associated with the device identifier to determine that the joining device is allowed to join the mesh network, the joining device not having prior knowledge of the PAN ID for the mesh network, and based on the determination that the joining device is allowed to join the mesh network, cause the joining device to transmit a join request to join the mesh network to at least one of the one or more joiner routers.

8. The mesh network device as recited in claim 7, wherein the steering data comprises a 16 bit Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC16) of the device identifier.

9. The mesh network device as recited in claim 7, wherein the device identifier is an IEEE 64-bit Extended Unique Identifier (EUI-64).

10. The mesh network device as recited in claim 7, wherein the commissioning application, to determine the steering data for the mesh network, is configured to determine the steering data for additional device identifiers associated with additional devices that are allowed to join the mesh network.

11. The mesh network device as recited in claim 7, wherein the steering data is usable by the joining device to distinguish the mesh network from other networks.

12. The mesh network device as recited in claim 11, wherein the other networks are IEEE 802.15.4 networks.

13. A mesh network system, comprising:

a joining device configured to request joining a mesh network;

one or more routers; and

a commissioning device of the mesh network, the commissioning device configured to;

determine steering data for the mesh network, the steering data comprising an indication of a device identifier associated with, and unique to, the joining device that is allowed to join the mesh network, the steering data including an indication that the commissioning device is active as a commissioner on the mesh network, and the steering data not including a Personal Area Network Identifier (PAN ID) for the mesh network; and

propagate the steering data from the commissioning device for the mesh network to the one or more routers in the mesh network;

the one or more routers configured to;

receive a beacon request from the joining device;

transmit the steering data in a beacon message, the steering data being effective to enable the joining device associated with the device identifier to determine that the joining device is allowed to join the mesh network, the joining device not having prior knowledge of the PAN ID for the mesh network; and

based on the determination that the joining device is allowed to join the mesh network, receive a join request from the joining device to join the mesh network.

14. The mesh network system as recited in claim 13, wherein the steering data comprises a 16 bit Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC16) of the device identifier.

15. The mesh network system as recited in claim 13, wherein the device identifier is an IEEE 64-bit Extended Unique Identifier (EUI-64).

16. The mesh network system as recited in claim 13, wherein the commissioning device, to determine the steering data for the mesh network, is configured to determine the steering data for additional device identifiers associated with additional devices that are allowed to join the mesh network.

17. The mesh network system as recited in claim 13, wherein the steering data enables the joining device to distinguish the mesh network from other networks.

18. The mesh network system as recited in claim 17, wherein the other networks are IEEE 802.15.4 networks.

19. The mesh network system as recited in claim 13, wherein the joining device is configured to perform an active scan to collect beacon messages from multiple networks.

20. The mesh network system as recited in claim 19, wherein the joining device is configured to prioritize the collected beacon messages based on the device identifier.