SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR RECOVERING AN OUT-OF-SERVICE NODE IN A HIERARCHICAL NETWORK

• US 20150003227A1
• Filed: 09/18/2014
• Published: 01/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mueller International LLC (Mueller Water Products Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Mueller International LLC (Mueller Water Products Incorporated)
• Inventors: Splitz, David Edwin, Shoesmith, William Charles, Grady, Robert Henry
• Granted Patent: US 10,039,018 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/216
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/345 Interference values signal-to-interference ratio [SIR] or carrier-to-interference ratio [CIR] H04B17/336
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/32 Hierarchical cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/001 Synchronization between nodes

Abstract

Systems and methods for communicating with a radio frequency (RF) device are disclosed herein. In particular, a method of recovering an out-of-service node comprises sending a hailing message on a plurality of hailing channels from a second node to the out-of-service node, the second node being in direct wireless communication with the out-of-service node, and sending a synchronization request message from the second node to the out-of-service node on a first data channel.

Claims

1. A wireless communication network comprising:

a plurality of nodes, each node being configured in wireless communication with at least one other node, and at least one of the plurality of nodes being configured in wireless communication with a utility provider;

wherein the utility provider and the plurality of nodes are arranged in a hierarchy with the utility provider being highest in the hierarchy, the plurality of nodes being arranged such that two nodes in direct wireless communication with each other include a parent node and a child node, the parent node being higher in the hierarchy with respect to the child node; and

wherein, when a first node of the plurality of nodes is determined to be out-of-service, the plurality of nodes are configured to perform a recovery procedure to restore the first node to operation, the recovery procedure including transmitting a time synchronization signal from a second node to the first node, the second node being in direct wireless communication with the first node.

2. The wireless communication network of claim 1, wherein the recovery procedure includes:

sending a hailing message on a plurality of hailing channels from a second node to the first node, the second node being in direct wireless communication with the first node.

3. The wireless communication network of claim 2, wherein the recovery procedure further includes sending an acknowledge message from the first node to the second node.

4. The wireless communication network of claim 2, wherein second node sends the hailing message on 50 hailing channels.

5. The wireless communication network of claim 1, wherein the recovery procedure includes supplying a time synchronization signal from a field radio to the first node.

6. The wireless communication network of claim 1, wherein the first node is determined to be out-of-service when it fails to communicate with other nodes for at least a first predetermined length of time.

7. The wireless communication network of claim 6, wherein the first predetermined length of time is ten days.

8. The wireless communication network of claim 6, wherein, if the first node resumes communicating with the other nodes before the first predetermined length of time, the first node receives a time synchronization signal from one of the other nodes to enable the first node to continue operation.

9. The wireless communication network of claim 8, wherein the first node is determined to be out-of-service if the time synchronization signal received from the one of the other nodes causes a time shift greater than a second predetermined length of time.

10. The wireless communication network of claim 1, wherein the first node is determined to be out-of-service when the first node is a new node replacing a non-functioning node.

11. The wireless communication network of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of nodes is associated with at least one meter for measuring utility usage for the utility provider.

12. A radio frequency (RF) device of a plurality of RF devices configured within a wireless communication network, the RF device comprising:

an oscillator operatively configured to maintain a reference clock signal;

an antenna operatively configured to transmit RF communication signals directly to and receive RF communication signals directly from at least one other RF device of the plurality of RF devices configured within the wireless communication network; and

a microprocessor operatively connected to the oscillator and the antenna,

wherein the microprocessor is operatively configured to determine when a first RF device of the at least one other RF device is out-of-service,

wherein the microprocessor is further configured to perform a recovery procedure to restore the first RF device to operation, and

wherein the recovery procedure includes transmitting a hailing message via the antenna on a plurality of hailing channels to the first RF device.

13. The RF device of claim 12, wherein the recovery procedure further includes transmitting the reference clock signal via the antenna on a first data channel to the first RF device and receiving an acknowledge message from the first RF device on the first data channel.

14. The RF device of claim 12, wherein the microprocessor determines the first RF device to be out-of-service when it fails to communicate for at least a predetermined length of time.

15. The RF device of claim 12, wherein the microprocessor determines the first RF device to be out-of-service when the first RF device is newly installed within the wireless communication network to replace a non-functioning RF device.

16. A method of wirelessly communicating within a communication network, the method comprising the steps of:

communicating directly and wirelessly with at least one node of a plurality of nodes in the communication network;

determining when a first node of the at least one node is out-of-service; and

performing a recovery procedure to restore the first node to operation, wherein the recovery procedure includes transmitting a time synchronization signal to the first node.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the recovery procedure includes the steps of transmitting a hailing message on a plurality of hailing channels to the first node.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of determining when the first node is out-of-service includes the step of determining when the first node fails to communicate for at least a predetermined length of time.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein, if the first node resumes communicating before the predetermined length of time, the step of determining when the first node is out-of-service further includes the steps of:

transmitting a time synchronization signal to the first node to enable the first node to continue operation; and

determining if the transmitted time synchronization signal causes a significant time shift in the first node.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of determining when the first node is out-of-service includes the step of determining when the first node is a new node configured to replace a non-functioning node.