802.11 MESH ARCHITECTURE

• US 20070248066A1
• Filed: 04/18/2007
• Published: 10/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marvell Asia Pte Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Original Assignee: Raja Banerjea, Sandesh Goel
• Inventors: Goel, Sandesh, Banerjea, Raja
• Granted Patent: US 8,014,370 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/26 Route discovery packet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/54 Organization of routing tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/10 based on available power or energy
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/246 Connectivity information discovery
• 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

A wireless network device comprises a physical layer (PHY) module that sends and receives packets wirelessly, a first media access control (MAC) module that wirelessly communicates with a second wireless network device in an ad-hoc mode via the PHY module, and a second MAC module that wirelessly communicates with an access point in an infrastructure mode via the PHY module.

Claims

1. A wireless network device comprising:

a physical layer (PHY) module that sends and receives packets wirelessly;

a first media access control (MAC) module that wirelessly communicates with a second wireless network device in an ad-hoc mode via said PHY module; and

a second MAC module that wirelessly communicates with an access point in an infrastructure mode via said PHY module.

2. The wireless network device of claim 1 further comprising a bridge module that facilitates transmission of packets between said first MAC module and said second MAC module.

3. The wireless network device of claim 1 further comprising a physical dispatcher module that directs packets from said PHY module to one of said first MAC module and said second MAC module.

4. The wireless network device of claim 1 wherein said second MAC module operates according to IEEE 802.11.

5. The wireless network device of claim 1 wherein said second MAC module is selectively deactivated when said wireless network device is not within range of said access point.

6. The wireless network device of claim 1 wherein said first MAC module communicates with said second wireless network device using packets including immediate source and destination addresses and final source and destination addresses.

7. The wireless network device of claim 1 wherein said wireless network device replies to an Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) request received from said access point, said ARP request requesting an address of said second wireless network device.

8. The wireless network device of claim 1 further comprising a forwarding table that includes destination entries and best next hop entries, wherein said destination entries each include a destination address field and a best next hop field, said best next hop entries each include a receiver address field, and said best next hop field of each of said destination entries points to one of said best next hop entries.

9. The wireless network device of claim 8 wherein said best next hop entries each include a power information field corresponding to a power state of a wireless network device designated by said receiver address field.

10. The wireless network device of claim 8 wherein said destination entries each include a metric field, and further comprising a mesh routing module that communicates with said first MAC module and that populates said forwarding table, wherein said metric field is based upon an energy cost for transmitting a packet along a corresponding route.

11. The wireless network device of claim 10 wherein said energy cost is calculated with a variable dependence upon state of charge of wireless network devices along said corresponding route.

12. A method for a wireless network device, comprising:

wirelessly communicating with a first wireless network device in an ad-hoc mode via a physical layer (PHY) module; and

wirelessly communicating with an access point in an infrastructure mode via said PHY module.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising operating in said infrastructure mode according to IEEE 802.11.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising selectively deactivating said infrastructure mode when out of range of said access point.

15. The method of claim 12 further comprising communicating with said first wireless network device using packets including immediate source and destination addresses and final source and destination addresses.

16. The method of claim 12 further comprising replying to an Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) request received from said access point, said ARP request requesting an address of said first wireless network device.

17. The method of claim 12 further comprising storing destination entries and best next hop entries in a forwarding table, wherein said destination entries each include a destination address field and a best next hop field, said best next hop entries each include a receiver address field, and said best next hop field of each of said destination entries points to one of said best next hop entries.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said best next hop entries each include a power information field corresponding to a power state of a wireless network device designated by said receiver address field.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein said destination entries each include a metric field, wherein said metric field is based upon an energy cost for transmitting a packet along a corresponding route.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein said energy cost is calculated with a variable dependence upon state of charge of wireless network devices along said corresponding route.