POINT-TO-POINT COMMUNICATION WITHIN A MESH NETWORK

• US 20090135762A1
• Filed: 11/21/2008
• Published: 05/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Trilliant Networks Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Trilliant Networks Incorporated
• Inventors: VEILLETTE, Michel
• Application Number:
  US12/275,236
• Publication Number:
  US 20090135762A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/004 Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/04 Interdomain routing, e.g. hierarchical routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/34 Source routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/48 Routing tree calculation
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/66 Traffic distributors
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/22 using selective relaying for reaching a BTS [Base Transceiver Station] or an access point
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/30 Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading

Abstract

A method and system provide receiving communications via either a short address or a long address. The method may include, responsive to receiving a packet, parsing a packet header. The method may include computing a response to the packet. The method may include, responsive to determining the packet includes a short address addressee, transmitting the response via a mesh network. The method may include, responsive to determining the packet includes a long address addressee, transmitting the response via a point-to-point protocol.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

responsive to receiving a packet, parsing a packet header;

computing a response to the packet;

responsive to determining the packet includes a short address addressee, transmitting the response via a mesh network; and

responsive to determining the packet includes a long address addressee, transmitting the response via a point-to-point protocol.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

associating with a mesh network within radio range.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the packet is a maintenance request transmitted by an off-network device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the maintenance request is used during at least one of:

an installation of a mesh device, a maintenance of the mesh device, a testing of the mesh device, and a walk-by or drive-by reading of the mesh device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the packet is a local communication not received via the mesh network.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to receiving a broadcasted query, replying with a mesh device identifier and a mesh device long address.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

verifying a filter criteria is satisfied before replying, wherein the filter criteria is received with the broadcasted query.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the packet has a short address addressee by examining a size of the header.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

processing the packet on a mesh network stack if the packet has a short address addressee; and

processing the packet on a local communication stack if the packet has a long address addressee.

10. A method, comprising:

broadcasting a query to a set of mesh devices;

receiving at least one response from the set of mesh devices, wherein the response includes a mesh device long address associated with each mesh device;

selecting a mesh device from a set of mesh devices; and

transmitting a packet to the selected mesh device using the associated mesh device long address.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the packet is a maintenance request.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the maintenance request is used during at least one of:

an installation of a mesh device, a maintenance of the mesh device, a testing of the mesh device, and a walk-by or drive-by reading of the mesh device.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a mesh device identifier associated with each mesh device responsive to the broadcasted query.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

broadcasting a filter criteria indicating desired mesh devices along with the broadcasted query.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a response responsive to the transmitted packet.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein:

the broadcasting of a query to a set of mesh devices is to mesh devices within radio range;

the receiving of at least one response from the set of mesh devices is a receiving of at least one response from the set of mesh devices within radio range;

and the selecting of a mesh device from a set of mesh devices is the selecting of a mesh device from a set of mesh devices within radio range.

17. A mesh device, comprising:

a radio configured to communicate with a mesh network and an off-network device;

a short address network stack configured to communicate over the mesh network; and

a long address network stack configured to communicate directly with the off-network device.

18. The mesh device of claim 17, the mesh device configured to associate with a mesh network within radio range.

19. The mesh device of claim 17, wherein the radio is further configured to receive a packet and the mesh device is configured to:

responsive to determining the packet includes a short address addressee, transmitting the response via the short address network stack; and

responsive to determining the packet includes a long address addressee, transmitting the response via a long address network stack.

20. The mesh device of claim 19, wherein the packet is a maintenance request transmitted by an off-network device.

21. The mesh device of 20, wherein the maintenance request is used during at least one of:

an installation of the mesh device, a maintenance of the mesh device, a testing of the mesh device, and a walk-by reading of the mesh device.

22. An apparatus, comprising:

a receiver receiving a packet that includes a packet header;

a packet parser unit that parses the packet header in response to receiving the packet and packet header;

a processing logic for computing a response to the packet;

an address type identification unit that identifies the packet as including a short address addressee or a long address addressee;

at least one transmitter unit that transmits the computed packet response;

(i) via a mesh network in response to determining the packet includes a short address addressee, and (ii) via a point-to-point protocol in response to determining the packet includes a long address addressee.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising:

means for associating with a mesh network within radio range.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising:

means for determining the packet is a maintenance request transmitted by an off-network device.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the maintenance request is used during at least one of:

an installation of a mesh device, a maintenance of the mesh device, a testing of the mesh device, and a walk-by or drive-by reading of the mesh device.

26. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising:

means for determining the packet is a local communication not received via the mesh network.

27. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising:

means for replying with a mesh device identifier and a mesh device long address in response to receiving a broadcasted query.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising:

means for verifying a filter criteria is satisfied before replying, wherein the filter criteria is received with the broadcasted query.

29. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising:

means for determining the packet has a short address addressee by examining a size of the header.

30. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising:

processing logic configured to;

process the packet on a mesh network stack if the packet has a short address addressee; and

process the packet on a local communication stack if the packet has a long address addressee.

31. An apparatus, comprising:

a broadcast transmitter broadcasting a query to a set of mesh devices;

a receiver receiving at least one response from the set of mesh devices, wherein the response includes a mesh device long address associated with each mesh device;

a selection logic unit selecting a mesh device from a set of mesh devices; and

a packet transmitter transmitting a packet to the selected mesh device using the associated mesh device long address.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the broadcast transmitter and the packet transmitter are the same transmitter.

33. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the broadcast transmitter and the packet transmitter are different transmitters.

34. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the packet comprises a maintenance request.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the maintenance request is used during at least one of:

an installation of a mesh device, a maintenance of the mesh device, a testing of the mesh device, and a walk-by or drive-by reading of the mesh device.

36. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein:

the receiver is adapted for receiving a mesh device identifier associated with each mesh device responsive to the broadcasted query.

37. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein:

the broadcast transmitter is adapted for broadcasting a filter criteria indicating desired mesh devices along with the broadcasted query.

38. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein:

the receiver is adapted for receiving a response responsive to the transmitted packet.

39. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein:

the broadcasting of a query to a set of mesh devices is to mesh devices within the broadcast transmitter radio range;

the receiving of at least one response from the set of mesh devices is a receiving of at least one response from the set of mesh devices within the receiver radio range;

and the selecting of a mesh device from a set of mesh devices is the selecting of a mesh device from a set of mesh devices within radio range.

40. A method for providing point-to-point communications between an off-network device and a selected mesh device, comprising:

broadcasting a query to a set of mesh devices within radio range by the off-network device;

receiving at least one response from the set of mesh devices within radio range, wherein the response includes a mesh device long address associated with each mesh device;

selecting the selected mesh device from the set of mesh devices within radio range;

transmitting a packet to the selected mesh device using the associated mesh device long address;

responsive to receiving a packet at the selected mesh device, parsing a packet header;

computing a response to the packet by the selected mesh device; and

responsive to determining the packet includes a long address addressee, transmitting the response to the off-network device via a point-to-point protocol.

41. A system for providing point-to-point communications between an off-network device and a selected mesh device, comprising:

a broadcast transmitter broadcasting a query to a set of mesh devices within radio range by the off-network device;

a first receiver receiving at least one response from the set of mesh devices within radio range, wherein the response includes a mesh device long address associated with each mesh device;

a selection logic unit selecting the selected mesh device from the set of mesh devices within radio range;

a packet transmitter transmitting a packet to the selected mesh device using the associated mesh device long address;

a second receiver receiving a packet that includes a packet header;

a packet parser unit that parses the packet header in response to receiving the packet and packet header;

a processing logic for computing a response to the packet;

an address type identification unit that identifies the packet as including a short address addressee or a long address addressee;

at least one packet response transmitter unit that transmits the computed packet response;

(i) via a mesh network in response to determining the packet includes a short address addressee, and (ii) via a point-to-point protocol in response to determining the packet includes a long address addressee.

42. A computer program product stored in a computer readable media for execution in a processor and memory coupled to the processor for performing a method comprising:

responsive to receiving a packet, parsing a packet header;

computing a response to the packet;

responsive to determining the packet includes a short address addressee, transmitting the response via a mesh network; and

responsive to determining the packet includes a long address addressee, transmitting the response via a point-to-point protocol.

43. A computer program product stored in a computer readable media for execution in a processor and memory coupled to the processor for performing a method comprising:

broadcasting a query to a set of mesh devices;

receiving at least one response from the set of mesh devices, wherein the response includes a mesh device long address associated with each mesh device;

selecting a mesh device from a set of mesh devices; and

transmitting a packet to the selected mesh device using the associated mesh device long address.

44. A computer program product stored in a computer readable media for execution in a processor and memory coupled to the processor for performing a method for providing point-to-point communications between an off-network device and a selected mesh device, comprising:

broadcasting a query to a set of mesh devices within radio range by the off-network device;

receiving at least one response from the set of mesh devices within radio range, wherein the response includes a mesh device long address associated with each mesh device;

selecting the selected mesh device from the set of mesh devices within radio range;

transmitting a packet to the selected mesh device using the associated mesh device long address;

responsive to receiving a packet at the selected mesh device, parsing a packet header;

computing a response to the packet by the selected mesh device; and

responsive to determining the packet includes a long address addressee, transmitting the response to the off-network device via a point-to-point protocol.