Swarm communication method and device

• US 10,694,529 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2017
• Issued: 06/23/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apium Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apium Inc.
• Inventors: MacCready, Tyler, Delight, Karl Magnus, Nise, Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Mian, Omer S
• Application Number:
  US15/786,965
• Publication Number:
  US 20180110039A1
• Time in Patent Office: 979 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/02 Selection of wireless resources by user or terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/51 based on terminal or device properties
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/541 using the level of interference
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/08 Non-scheduled access, e.g. ALOHA hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A swarm communication system. Each of a plurality of transceivers determines a transmission cycle duration, and transmits one packet per transmission cycle, each packet being transmitted at a random point in time within the transmission cycle. The duration of the transmission cycle of a first transceiver may be adjusted according to the number of other transceivers within range of the first transceiver, or according to the number of other transmitters within range of each of the other transmitters that are within range of the first transceiver.

Claims

1. A method for communicating between a plurality of transceivers, the method comprising:

transmitting a packet, by a first transceiver of the plurality of transceivers, during each transmission cycle of a plurality of transmission cycles executed at an adjustable transmission cycle frequency;

establishing, at a first time, by the first transceiver, a first transmission cycle frequency; and

establishing, at a second time, by the first transceiver, a second transmission cycle frequency, higher than the first transmission cycle frequency,

the establishing of the first transmission cycle frequency comprising establishing the first transmission cycle frequency based on a first set of transceiver counts, each of the transceiver counts of the first set of transceiver counts being a count of transceivers that are, at the first time, within communication range of a respective second transceiver of a first plurality of second transceivers, the first plurality of second transceivers being a subset of the plurality of transceivers, each of the second transceivers of the first plurality of second transceivers being, at the first time, within communication range of the first transceiver,

the establishing of the second transmission cycle frequency comprising establishing the second transmission cycle frequency based on a second set of transceiver counts, each of the transceiver counts of the second set of transceiver counts being a count of transceivers that are, at the second time, within communication range of a respective second transceiver of a second plurality of second transceivers, the second plurality of second transceivers being a subset of the plurality of transceivers, each of the second transceivers of the second plurality of second transceivers being, at the second time, within communication range of the first transceiver,

the average of the transceiver counts of the second set of transceiver counts being less than the average of the transceiver counts of the first set of transceiver counts;

wherein the establishing of the first transmission cycle frequency comprises calculating the first transmission cycle frequency F according to the equation

F=B/(N*T),

wherein N is the average of the transceiver counts of the first set of transceiver counts, T is a duration of the packet, and B is a constant having a value between 0.1 and 4.0.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining, by a second transceiver of the first plurality of second transceivers, the count of transceivers within communication range of the second transceiver by:

during a first time interval having a duration of k transmission cycles of the second transceiver, k being a whole number greater than 2;

receiving a plurality of packets; and

adding, to a list of transceiver identifiers, a received transceiver identifier when the received transceiver identifier is not already in the list, removing from the list each transceiver identifier not in any packet of the plurality of packets; and

counting the number of transceiver identifiers in the list.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the first transceiver, a packet comprising received stamp data and received mode data, the stamp data being a member of an ordered list; and

when the received stamp data is later in the ordered list than stored stamp data in the first transceiver, overwriting the stored stamp data with the received stamp data, and overwriting stored mode data in the first transceiver with the received mode data; and

when the received stamp data is not later in the ordered list than the stored stamp data in the first transceiver, leaving the stored stamp data and stored mode data unchanged.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the first time is later than the second time.

4. A method for communicating between a plurality of transceivers, the method comprising:

transmitting a packet, by a first transceiver of the plurality of transceivers, during each transmission cycle of a plurality of transmission cycles executed at an adjustable transmission cycle frequency;

establishing, at a first time, by the first transceiver, a first transmission cycle frequency; and

establishing, at a second time, by the first transceiver, a second transmission cycle frequency, higher than the first transmission cycle frequency,

the establishing of the first transmission cycle frequency comprising establishing the first transmission cycle frequency based on a first transceiver count, the first transceiver count being a count of transceivers that are, at the first time, within communication range of the first transceiver,

the establishing of the second transmission cycle frequency comprising establishing the second transmission cycle frequency based on a second transceiver count, the second transceiver count being a count of transceivers that are, at the second time, within communication range of the first transceiver,

the second transceiver count being less than the first transceiver count;

wherein the establishing of the first transmission cycle frequency comprises calculating the first transmission cycle frequency F according to the equation

F=B/(N*T), wherein N is the first transceiver count, T is a duration of the packet, and B is a constant having a value between 0.1 and 4.0.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving, by the first transceiver, a packet comprising received stamp data and received mode data, the stamp data being a member of an ordered list; and

when the received stamp data is later in the ordered list than stored stamp data in the first transceiver, overwriting the stored stamp data with the received stamp data, and overwriting stored mode data in the first transceiver with the received mode data; and

when the received stamp data is not later in the ordered list than the stored stamp data in the first transceiver, leaving the stored stamp data and stored mode data unchanged.

14. The method of claim 4, wherein the first time is later than the second time.

6. A system, comprising:

a plurality of spatially separated agents, each agent comprising a respective transceiver of a corresponding plurality of transceivers, a first transceiver of the plurality of transceivers being configured to;

transmit a packet, during each transmission cycle of a plurality of transmission cycles executed at an adjustable transmission cycle frequency;

establish, at a first time, by the first transceiver, a first transmission cycle frequency; and

establish, at a second time, by the first transceiver, a second transmission cycle frequency, higher than the first transmission cycle frequency, the establishing of the first transmission cycle frequency comprising establishing the first transmission cycle frequency based on a first set of transceiver counts, each of the transceiver counts of the first set of transceiver counts being a count of transceivers that are, at the first time, within communication range of a respective second transceiver of a first plurality of second transceivers, the first plurality of second transceivers being a subset of the plurality of transceivers, each of the second transceivers of the first plurality of second transceivers being, at the first time, within communication range of the first transceiver,

the establishing of the second transmission cycle frequency comprising establishing the second transmission cycle frequency based on a second set of transceiver counts, each of the transceiver counts of the second set of transceiver counts being a count of transceivers that are, at the second time, within communication range of a respective second transceiver of a second plurality of second transceivers, the second plurality of second transceivers being a subset of the plurality of transceivers, each of the second transceivers of the second plurality of second transceivers being, at the second time, within communication range of the first transceiver,

the average of the transceiver counts of the second set of transceiver counts being less than the average of the transceiver counts of the first set of transceiver counts;

wherein the establishing of the first transmission cycle frequency comprises calculating the first transmission cycle frequency F according to the equation

F=B/(N*T), wherein N is the average of the transceiver counts of the first set of transceiver counts, T is a duration of the packet, and B is a constant having a value between 0.1 and 4.0.

7. The system of claim 6, further comprising determining, by a second transceiver of the plurality of second transceivers, the count of transceivers within communication range of the second transceiver by:

during a first time interval having a duration of k transmission cycles of the second transceiver, k being a whole number greater than 2;

receiving a plurality of packets; and

adding, to a list of transceiver identifiers, a received transceiver identifier when the received transceiver identifier is not already in the list, removing from the list each transceiver identifier not in any packet of the plurality of packets; and

counting the number of transceiver identifiers in the list.

8. The system of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving, by the first transceiver, a packet comprising received stamp data and received mode data, the stamp data being a member of an ordered list; and

when the received stamp data is later in the ordered list than stored stamp data in the first transceiver, overwriting the stored stamp data with the received stamp data, and overwriting stored mode data in the first transceiver with the received mode data; and

when the received stamp data is not later in the ordered list than the stored stamp data in the first transceiver, leaving the stored stamp data and stored mode data unchanged.

9. The system of claim 6, further comprising a sniffer comprising a directional antenna, having a gain, in one direction, of at least 5 dBi.

15. The system of claim 6, wherein the first time is later than the second time.

10. A system for providing communications to a swarm of vehicles, the system comprising a plurality of transceivers, a first transceiver of the plurality of transceivers being configured to:

be mechanically and electrically connected to a vehicle;

transmit a packet, by a first transceiver of the plurality of transceivers, during each transmission cycle of a plurality of transmission cycles executed at an adjustable transmission cycle frequency;

establish, at a first time, by the first transceiver, a first transmission cycle frequency; and

establish, at a second time, by the first transceiver, a second transmission cycle frequency, higher than the first transmission cycle frequency, the establishing of the first transmission cycle frequency comprising establishing the first transmission cycle frequency based on a first set of transceiver counts, each of the transceiver counts of the first set of transceiver counts being a count of transceivers that are, at the first time, within communication range of a respective second transceiver of a first plurality of second transceivers, the first plurality of second transceivers being a subset of the plurality of transceivers, each of the second transceivers of the first plurality of second transceivers being, at the first time, within communication range of the first transceiver,

the establishing of the second transmission cycle frequency comprising establishing the second transmission cycle frequency based on a second set of transceiver counts, each of the transceiver counts of the second set of transceiver counts being a count of transceivers that are, at the second time, within communication range of a respective second transceiver of a second plurality of second transceivers, the second plurality of second transceivers being a subset of the plurality of transceivers, each of the second transceivers of the second plurality of second transceivers being, at the second time, within communication range of the first transceiver,

the average of the transceiver counts of the second set of transceiver counts being less than the average of the transceiver counts of the first set of transceiver count;

wherein the establishing of the first transmission cycle frequency comprises calculating the first transmission cycle frequency F according to the equation

F=B/(N*T), wherein N is the average of the transceiver counts of the first set of transceiver counts, T is a duration of the packet, and B is a constant having a value between 0.1 and 4.0.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the first transceiver is configured to send, to the vehicle, information about the location of other nearby transceivers of the plurality of transceivers.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the first transceiver is configured to send, to the vehicle, a commanded velocity vector.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the first time is later than the second time.