Reducing latency in a mesh network

• US 10,128,933 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2015
• Issued: 11/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Åstrom, Magnus, Di Taranto, Rocco, Kapetanovic, Dzevdan
• Primary Examiner(s): Lam, Yee
• Application Number:
  US14/762,885
• Publication Number:
  US 20170195034A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,245 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/14 Relay systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/12 Shortest path evaluation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/74 Address processing for routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition

Abstract

A message (300) that has been transmitted in a mesh network from a source node (102) and intended for reception by a destination node (104) is received by a relay node (125) and also received by a number of other nodes (121, 123). A minimized latency can be obtained by the use of a timer such that the message is relayed by the relay node (125) only if no other node has already relayed the message.

Claims

1. A method, in a relay node in a mesh network, for handling relay of messages between a source node and a destination node, where the mesh network comprises a plurality of other nodes, the method comprising:

receiving a message comprising a header, the header comprising an address of the destination node and an address representing a node subset comprising the relay node and at least one other node;

starting a timer,

determining, while the timer is running, whether any of the at least one other node in the node subset transmits the message; and

, in response to determining that none of the at least one other node in the node subset transmits the message, then;

altering at least a part of the message header of the message; and

transmitting the message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining whether any of the at least one other node in the node subset transmits the message comprises determining whether any of the at least one other node in the node subset transmits the message having an altered header.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the header comprises an address of a transmitting node;

the determining whether any of the at least one other node in the node subset transmits the message having an altered header comprises determining whether the address of the transmitting node is altered.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the header comprises an address of a transmitting node; and

the altering of at least a part of the message header comprises altering the address of the transmitting node in the header to an address of the relay node itself.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, prior to the reception of the message, information that represents a value of the timer.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, prior to the reception of the message, information that represents the address representing the node subset.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving first information that represents a value of the timer, second information that represents the address representing the node subset in a path reply (PREP) message, or both.

8. A relay node for use in a mesh network for handling relay of messages between a source node and a destination node, where the mesh network comprises a plurality of other nodes, the relay node comprising:

radio frequency control circuitry;

a processor;

memory containing instructions executable by the processor that, when executed by the processor, cause the relay node to be operative to;

receive a message comprising a header, the header comprising an address of the destination node and an address representing a node subset comprising the relay node and at least one other node;

start a timer,

determine, while the timer is running, whether any of the at least one other node in the node subset transmits the message and, in response to determining that none of the at least one other node in the node subset transmits the message, then;

alter at least a part of the message header of the message; and

transmit the message.

9. The relay node of claim 8, wherein determining whether any of the at least one other node in the node subset transmits the message comprises determining whether any of the at least one other node in the node subset transmits the message having an altered header.

10. The relay node of claim 9, wherein:

the header comprises an address of a transmitting node;

the determining whether any of the at least one other node in the node subset transmits the message having an altered header comprises determining whether the address of the transmitting node is altered.

11. The relay node of claim 8, wherein:

the header comprises an address of a transmitting node;

the altering of at least a part of the message header comprises altering the address of the transmitting node in the header to an address of the relay node itself.

12. The relay node of claim 8, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the relay node to be operative to receive, prior to the reception of the message, information that represents a value of the timer.

13. The relay node of claim 12, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the relay node to be operative to receive any of:

the information that represents the value of the timer;

information that represents the address representing the node subset in a path reply (PREP) message.

14. The relay node of claim 8, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the relay node to be operative to receive, prior to the reception of the message, information that represents the address representing the node subset.

15. A computer program product stored in a non-transitory computer readable medium for controlling a relay node in a mesh network, and for handling relay of messages between a source node and a destination node, where the mesh network comprises a plurality of other nodes, the computer program product comprising software instructions which, when run on one or more processors of the relay node, causes the relay node to:

receive a message comprising a header, the header comprising an address of the destination node and an address representing a node subset comprising the relay node and at least one other node;

start a timer,

determine, while the timer is running, whether any of the at least one other node in the node subset transmits the message; and

, in response to determining that none of the of the at least one other node in the node subset transmits the message, then;

alter at least a part of the message header of the message; and

transmit the message.