Management of Radio Frequencies in a Wireless or Hybrid Mesh Network

• US 20120258749A1
• Filed: 04/09/2012
• Published: 10/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fluidmesh Networks Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Fluidmesh Networks Incorporated
• Inventors: Lenzini, Luciano, Mingozzi, Enzo, Bisti, Luca, Bertani, Torquato, Erta, Alessandro, Malesci, Umberto
• Granted Patent: US 9,307,413 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/509
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/06 Hybrid resource partitioning, e.g. channel borrowing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

In a wireless or hybrid mesh communication system, radio frequencies are managed by assigning an in-use frequency channel to each local family of nodes, distributing spare frequency channel(s) among the local families of nodes, and changing the in-use frequency channel of at least one selected local family of nodes to a new frequency channel selected among its spare frequency channel(s), if any, or among the spare frequency channel(s) of another local family of nodes if said at least one selected local family of nodes has no spare frequency channel(s), and/or as the in-use frequency channel of another local family of nodes if none of said local families of nodes has spare frequency channel(s).

Claims

1. A communication node for use in a wireless or hybrid mesh communication system, having a first radio interface used for uplink communication over a first frequency channel, and at least one second radio interface, each second radio interface being used for downlink communication with at least one child node over a second frequency channel, the communication node and the at least one child node defining a family, comprising:

first modules adapted to store a set of spare frequency channels for the family,

second modules adapted to change and have the at least one child node change the second frequency channel to a third frequency channel, and

third modules adapted to select the third frequency channel from the set of spare frequency channels if the set of spare frequency channels is not empty, to request and obtain the third frequency channel) through the first radio interface from a root node of the communication system if the set of spare frequency channels is empty.

2. The communication node according to claim 1, further comprising fourth modules adapted to recognize a Dynamic Frequency Selection event over the second frequency channel, wherein the second modules adapted to change and have the at least one child node change the second frequency channel are operative upon a Dynamic Frequency Selection event.

3. The communication node according to claim 2, wherein the modules fourth adapted to recognize a Dynamic Frequency Selection event over the second frequency channel comprise at least one of modules adapted to detect radar activity over the second frequency channel, modules adapted to receive a Dynamic Frequency Selection event message from the at least one child node, and modules adapted to receive a Channel Change message from the root node through the first radio interface.

4. The communication node according to claim 1, further comprising fifth modules adapted to send a notification of an occurred change to the third frequency channel through the first radio interface to the root node.

5. The communication node according to claim 1, further comprising sixth modules adapted to receive a configuration message through the first radio interface from the root node comprising at least one spare frequency channel to be stored in or removed from the set of spare frequency channels.

6. A communication node for use in a wireless or hybrid mesh communication system, the communication system comprising at least one family formed of a parent node and at least one child node communicating over a frequency channel, comprising:

first modules adapted to assign a set of spare frequency channel to each of the at least one family, and

second modules adapted to receive a request for a new frequency channel from a parent node of the at least one family, the request being sent by the parent node when its set of spare frequency channels is empty, and to provide the new frequency channel to the parent node.

7. The communication node according to claim 6, further comprising third modules adapted to revoke the new frequency channel from the set of spare frequency channels of another family.

8. The communication node according to claim 6, further comprising fourth modules adapted to select the new frequency channel as an in-use frequency channel assigned to a parent node of another family.

9. The communication node according to claim 8, wherein the fourth modules are adapted to select a new frequency channel that minimizes interference over the communication system.

10. The communication node according to claim 6, further comprising fifth modules adapted to recognize a Dynamic Frequency Selection event over a frequency channel and to provide the new frequency channel to all parent nodes of families communicating over the frequency channel.

11. The communication node according to claim 6, wherein the spare frequency channels are assigned to the parent nodes of the at least one family in a breadth-first order according to a decreasing degree of preference, and in a same tier in order of decreasing number of child nodes.

12. The communication according to claim 6, further comprising sixth modules adapted to store and maintain information relating to a topology of the communication system, to the frequency in use in each local family, and to the set of spare frequency channels assigned to each parent node of the at least one family.

13. The communication node according to claim 12, wherein the sixth modules adapted to store and maintain information are further adapted to store and maintain information about at least one of frequency channels temporarily not usable, a level of interference among families within the communication network, a degree of preference of frequency channels, and traffic matrices.

14. The communication node according to claim 12, further comprising seventh modules adapted to receive the information from communication nodes of the network.

15. The invention according to claim 6, wherein the communication node comprises a root node, and wherein the root node is part of a communication system that further comprises at least one local parent node and at least one child node communicating with the at least one local parent node over a second frequency channel.

16. The invention according to claim 15, further comprising at least one monitor node comprising eighth modules adapted to monitor at least one frequency channel for at least one of Dynamic Frequency Selection events, Media Access Control addresses, and Received Signal Strength Intensity.

17. A method of managing radio frequencies within a wireless or hybrid mesh communication system, comprising the steps of:

assigning an in-use frequency channel to each local family of nodes,

distributing spare frequency channels among the local families of nodes,

changing the in-use frequency channel of at least one selected local family of nodes to a new frequency channel selected among its spare frequency channels, if any, or among the spare frequency channels of another local family of nodes if the at least one selected local family of nodes has no spare frequency channels.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the new frequency channel is further selected as the in-use frequency channel of another local family of nodes if none of the local families of nodes has spare frequency channels.

19. A communication node comprising modules adapted to monitor at least one frequency channel for at least one of Dynamic Frequency Selection events, Media Access Control addresses, and Received Signal Strength Intensity.

20. The communication node according to claim 19, further comprising modules adapted to send a DFS Event Notification message to a parent communication node.