Device and method for load balancing for data packet transmissions in wireless networks

• US 9,526,030 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2011
• Issued: 12/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Signify Holding B.V. (Signify N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Philips Lighting BV (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Goergen, Daniel Martin, Schenk, Tim Corneel Wilhelmus, Espina Perez, Javier, Garcia Morchon, Oscar
• Primary Examiner(s): Jung, Min
• Application Number:
  US13/876,498
• Publication Number:
  US 20130182566A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,909 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1621 Group acknowledgement, i.e. the acknowledgement message defining a range of identifiers, e.g. of sequence numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1628 List acknowledgements, i.e. the acknowledgement message consisting of a list of identifiers, e.g. of sequence numbers H04L1/1614 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1868 Measures taken after transmission, e.g. acknowledgments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1872 avoiding ACK or NACK implosion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0093 Point-to-multipoint
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0247 based on conditions of the access network or the infrastructure network central resource management H04W28/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/065 using assembly or disassembly of packets

Abstract

For load balancing in a large-scale wireless mesh network, a device, a system and a method are provided for controlling data packet transmissions in the wireless mesh network, wherein answers to more than one received data packet are aggregated in one answer-batch.

Claims

1. A device for controlling data packet transmissions in a wireless mesh network, wherein the mesh network comprises a plurality of nodes, each capable of communicating directly with one or more other nodes and wherein one or more of the nodes require a data packet to be transmitted from a sender node to a destination node via multi-hop transmission using multiple nodes, the device comprising:

a control unit that is adapted to generate a plurality of answer data packets to more than one received data packet from more than one sender node and to aggregate said plurality of answer data packets into one answer-batch to at least one destination node;

wherein redundant headers are omitted in the answer-batch to reduce data overhead.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the nodes of the wireless mesh network are stationary.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the received data packet is a multicast data packet sent to more than one node, wherein the answer data packet is a time-uncritical acknowledgement of the received data packet.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is adapted to differentiate between time-critical and non-time critical data packets.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is adapted to randomly select a time slot within a determined answer interval for transmitting an answer data packet responding to a received data packet.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein the answer interval is specific for the received data packet.

7. The device according to claim 5, wherein the answer interval is determined based on one or more criteria selected from the group consisting of:

number of addressee nodes of the answer, number of receiver nodes of the received data packet, network capabilities, a time stamp, information included in the received data packet, current network load, expected network load, and a stored schedule.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein a transmission of a data packet is scheduled based on a location of the device within the network.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein a transmission of a data packet is scheduled based on a hop distance of the device to a data collector node, and wherein the transmission of a data packet in an area with low hop distance to a data collector node is scheduled to be prior than the transmission of a data packet in an area with high hop distance to the data collector node.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is adapted to set back-off delays based on a location of the device within the network.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is adapted to postpone the answer data packets to the received data packets for aggregation in the answer-batch such that the answer data packets are transmitted within a respective answer interval.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is adapted to aggregate answer data packets to an individual node.

13. The device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is adapted to aggregate answer data packets to a predetermined group of nodes, and wherein the control unit is adapted to determine the group of nodes based on a distance between the nodes.

14. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device is used in telemanagement of a lighting system for controlling lighting functions of luminaire nodes.

15. The device according to claim 1, wherein the received data packet is a request for data delivery, and wherein the answer data packet is a time-uncritical data packet.

16. The device according to claim 1, wherein a transmission of a data packet is scheduled based on a network address.

17. A system for controlling data packet transmission in a wireless mesh network, the system comprising:

a plurality of nodes, wherein the nodes of the wireless mesh network are stationary; and

at least one data collector node;

wherein at least one of the nodes comprises a device according to claim 1,

wherein the data collector node is adapted to multicast a data request message to at least some of the nodes, to which the nodes answer with a node-specific delay after having received the data request message.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein at least one data collector comprises a device according to claim 1, and wherein the at least one data collector node is adapted to poll at least one of the nodes for data packet transmission based on a location of the node.

19. The system according to claim 17, wherein at least one data collector comprises a device according to claim 1, and wherein the at least one data collector node is adapted to poll at least one of the nodes for data packet transmission based on based on a hop distance of the node to the data collector node.

20. A method for controlling data packet transmission in a wireless mesh network, wherein the mesh network comprises a plurality of nodes, each capable of communicating directly with one or more other nodes and wherein one or more of the nodes require a data packet to be transmitted from a sender node to a destination node via one or more intermediate nodes, the method comprising the steps of:

generating a plurality of answer data packets to more than one received data packet from more than one sender node, and

aggregating said plurality of answer data packets into one answer-batch to at least one destination node; and

,

wherein redundant headers are omitted in the answer-batch to reduce data overhead.