ADAPTIVE NETWORK TOPOLOGY

• US 20180184360A1
• Filed: 12/23/2016
• Published: 06/28/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Dave Cavalcanti, Jaroslaw J. Sydir, Vallabhajosyula S. Somayazulu, Yiting Liao
• Inventors: CAVALCANTI, DAVE, SOMAYAZULU, VALLABHAJOSYULA S., LIAO, YITING, SYDIR, JAROSLAW J.
• Granted Patent: US 10,313,977 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/24 Connectivity information management, e.g. connectivity discovery or connectivity update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 Master-slave selection or change arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Apparatuses, systems and methods associated with adaptive communication topology within a wireless mesh network of devices are disclosed herein. In embodiments, a computer device, may include wireless circuitry to communicate with a leader of a network and a controller coupled to the wireless circuitry. The controller may identify one or more values located within a message received via the network, wherein the one or more values are generated by the leader, and determine in which of one or more operation modes the computer device is to operate based, at least partially, on the one or more values. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

Claims

1. A computer device, comprising:

wireless circuitry to communicate with a leader of a network; and

a controller coupled to the wireless circuitry to;

identify one or more values located within a message received via the network, wherein the one or more values are generated by the leader; and

determine in which of one or more operation modes the computer device is to operate based, at least partially, on the one or more values.

2. The computer device of claim 1, wherein the one or more operation modes include a relay operation mode and an end point operation mode.

3. The computer device of claim 1, wherein the one or more operation modes include a relay operation mode, and wherein the computer device is to operate in the relay operation mode in response to a determination, based at least partially on the one or more values, that the computer device is to operate in the relay operation mode within the network.

4. The computer device of claim 2, wherein the one or more operation modes include an end point operation mode, and wherein the computer device is to operate in the end point operation mode in response to a determination, based at least partially on the one or more values that the computer device is not to operate in the relay operation mode within the network.

5. The computer device of claim 1, wherein the message includes a plurality of values, and wherein the controller is to further:

determine a rank of the computer device within the network; and

identify the one or more values, from the plurality of values, based on the one or more values being associated with the rank of the computer device.

6. The computer device of claim 5, wherein the rank is determined based, at least partially, on a distance from the computer device to the leader.

7. The computer device of claim 6, wherein the controller is to further:

determine the distance from the computer device to the leader based on a number of relays between the leader and the computer device, a battery level of the computer device, or a quality of a link between the leader and the computer device.

8. The computer device of claim 1, further comprising a battery coupled to the controller, wherein the controller is to further:

determine a battery level of the battery; and

alter the one or more values based on the battery level, wherein the one or more values used to determine in which one of the operation modes the computer device is to operate are the altered one or more values.

9. A leader apparatus, comprising:

a controller to;

identify information associated with one or more computer devices within one or more messages received from at least a portion of the one or more computer devices, the one or more computer devices being within a network coordinated by the leader apparatus; and

generate one or more values based on the information associated with the one or more computer devices, the one or more values to facilitate the one or more computer devices in selection of an operation mode; and

wireless circuitry coupled to the controller and to communicate with the one or more computer devices, the wireless circuitry to transmit the one or more values to the one or more computer devices.

10. The leader apparatus of claim 9, wherein the information associated with the one or more computer devices includes respective indication or indications of quality of link or links between the leader apparatus and the one or more computer devices.

11. The leader apparatus of claim 9, wherein the information associated with the one or more computer devices includes an indication of a number of neighbors that a computer device, of the one or more computer devices, detects.

12. The leader apparatus of claim 9, wherein the information associated with the one or more computer devices includes an indication of a number of the one or more computer devices that can operate in a relay operation mode.

13. The leader apparatus of claim 9, wherein the one or more values include:

a first value for a first rank of the one or more computer devices; and

a second value for a second rank of the one or more computer devices, the second value being different than the first value.

14. The leader apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first value is based on a number of the one or more computer devices having the first rank and the second value is based on a number of the one or more computer devices having the second rank.

15. One or more computer-readable media having instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions, in response to execution by a computer device, cause the computer device to:

identify a message transmitted by a leader of a network, wherein the message includes one or more values;

identify a specific value associated with the computer device from the one or more values; and

determine in which of one or more operation modes the computer device is to operate based, at least partially, on the specific value.

16. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the one or more operation modes include a relay operation mode and an end point operation mode.

17. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the one or more operation modes include a relay operation mode, and wherein the instructions cause the computer device to further:

enter the relay operation mode in response to a determination, based at least partially on the specific value, that the computer device is to operate in the relay operation mode.

18. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 16, wherein the one or more operation modes include an end point operation mode, and wherein the instructions cause the computer device to further:

enter the end point operation mode in response to a determination, based at least partially on the specific value, that the computer device is not to operate in the relay operation mode.

19. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the instructions cause the computer device to further:

determine a rank of the computer device within the network, wherein the specific value is identified based on the rank.

20. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 19, wherein the instructions cause the computer device to further:

determine a number of relays between the leader and the computer device, a battery level of the computer device, or a quality of a link between the leader and the computer device, wherein the rank is based on the number of relays, the battery level, or the quality.

21. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the instructions cause the computer device to further:

determine a battery level of the computer device;

determine that the battery level of the computer device is less than a threshold value; and

alter the specific value to zero based on the battery level being less than the threshold value, wherein the specific value used for determination of in which of the one or more operation modes the computer device is to operate is the altered specific value.

22. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the instructions cause the computer device to further:

enter an operation mode, of the one or more operation modes, based on a result of the determination that denotes which of the one or more operation modes the computer device is to operate;

initiate a timer in response to the operation mode being entered;

identify an updated specific value associated with the computer device; and

redetermine, based at least partially on the updated specific value, in which of the one or more operation modes the computer device is to operate in response to an expiration of the timer.

23. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 15, wherein the instructions cause the computer device to further:

identify information within transmissions from neighboring computer devices within the network to determine a number of the neighboring computer devices; and

alter the specific value based on the number of the neighboring computer devices, wherein the specific value used to determination in which of the one or more operation modes the computer device is to operate is the altered specific value.

24. One or more computer-readable media having instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions, in response to execution by a leader, cause the leader to:

identify information associated with one or more computer devices within transmissions from at least a portion of the one or more computer devices, the one or more computer devices being within a network coordinated by the leader;

determine, based on the information, a number of the one or more computer devices and ranks associated with the one or more computer devices;

generate one or more values based on the number of the one or more computer devices and the ranks associated with the one or more computer devices, the one or more values to facilitate the one or more computer devices in selection of an operation mode; and

transmit a message that includes the one or more values to the network.

25. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 24, wherein the ranks associated with the one or more computer devices are based on a number of relays between the leader and each of the one or more computer devices.