Low latency hybrid network for battery powered endpoint communications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10959154-B2
Application number	US-201816159587-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 12, 2018
Priority date	Oct 12, 2018
Publication date	Mar 23, 2021
Grant date	Mar 23, 2021

Abstract

Nodes included in a hybrid network establish cellular links infrequently and at staggered intervals. When a node establishes a cellular link, other nodes can transmit and receive data to a back office using that cellular link. In addition, the node can receive a request from the back office across the cellular link indicating that another node should respond to an on-demand read request. The node can then signal the other node via a wireless mesh network to establish a cellular link in order to respond to the on-demand read request. An advantage of the disclosed approach is that a battery powered node can communicate as often as needed with the back office without frequently establishing a cellular link and without maintaining a continuously active cellular link.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method for generating and reporting metrology data across a hybrid network, the method comprising:
generating first metrology data during a first time interval;
determining that a first node included in a plurality of nodes in the hybrid network is scheduled to generate a first communication link that couples the first node to a first server at a first communication time, wherein each node included in the plurality of nodes is scheduled to establish, at staggered communication times, a communication link that comprises a first type of communication link and couples the node to the first server;
generating a second communication link that couples the first node to a second node included in the hybrid network, wherein the second communication link comprises a second type of communication link; and
transmitting the first metrology data to the first node via the second communication link for further transmission to the first server via the first communication link at the first communication time.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein determining that the first node is scheduled to generate the first communication link comprises evaluating a communication schedule that is generated by the first server and transmitted to each node included in the hybrid network.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein generating the second communication link occurs in response to determining that the first communication time is to occur within a threshold time span.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the first type of communication link comprises a cellular network link, and the second type of communication link comprises a mesh network link.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the first node generates the first communication link at the first communication time, and the second node generates the second communication link prior to the first communication time.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 , wherein the first node consumes a first amount of power to generate the first communication link, and the second node consumes a second amount of power to generate the second communication link, and wherein the first amount of power is greater than the second amount of power.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising performing an authentication procedure to secure the first communication link based on credentials received from the first server.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the second node generates the first type of communication link with a first periodicity, the second node generates the second type of communication link with a second periodicity, and further comprising transmitting metrology data to the first server with the second periodicity via at least one other node included in the hybrid network, wherein the second periodicity is greater than the first periodicity.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein each of the first node and the second node comprises a low power node, a battery powered node, or a solar powered node.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising transmitting the first metrology data to the first server via a second server that authorizes the first node to establish the first communication link.

11. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to generate and report metrology data across a hybrid network by performing the steps of:
generating first metrology data during a first time interval;
determining that a first node included in a plurality of nodes in the hybrid network is scheduled to generate a first communication link that couples the first node to a first server at a first communication time, wherein each node included in the plurality of nodes is scheduled to establish, at staggered communication times, a communication link that comprises a first type of communication link and couples the node to the first server;
generating a second communication link that couples the first node to a second node included in the hybrid network, wherein the second communication link comprises a second type of communication link; and
transmitting the first metrology data to the first node via the second communication link for further transmission to the first server via the first communication link at the first communication time.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11 , wherein the step of determining that the first node is scheduled to generate the first communication link comprises evaluating a communication schedule that is generated by the first server and transmitted to each node included in the hybrid network.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11 , wherein the step of generating the second communication link occurs in response to determining that the first communication time is to occur within a threshold time span.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11 , wherein the first type of communication link comprises a cellular network link, and the second type of communication link comprises a mesh network link.

15. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11 , wherein the second node generates the second communication link prior to a time when the first node generates the first communication link.

16. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 15 , wherein the second node consumes less power to generate the second communication link than the first node consumes to generate the first communication link.

17. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11 , wherein the second node generates the first type of communication link with a first periodicity, and the second node generates the second type of communication link with a second periodicity, wherein the second periodicity is greater than the first periodicity, and further comprising the step of transmitting metrology data to the first server with the second periodicity via at least one other node included in the hybrid network.

18. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11 , wherein the second node transmits the first metrology data to the first node to cause the first node to transmit the first metrology data to the first server via a second server, wherein the second server authorizes the first node to establish the first communication link and wherein the second server relays the first metrology data to the first server on behalf of the first node.

19. A system, comprising:
a first node that is included in a plurality of nodes that reside in a hybrid network and that performs the steps of:
generating a first communication link at a first communication time, and
transmitting first metrology data to a first server via the first communication link at the first communication time; and

a second node that resides in the hybrid network and performs the steps of:
generating the first metrology data during a first time interval,
determining that the first node is scheduled to generate the first communication link that couples the first node to the first server at the first communication time, wherein each node included in the plurality of nodes is scheduled to establish, at staggered communication times, a communication link that comprises a first type of communication link and couples the node to the firs

Assignees

• Itron Inc

Inventors

• Cahill-O'Brien Barry
• Edwards Bruce

Classifications

• H04W40/10

  based on available power or energy · CPC title

• H04W74/02

  Hybrid access · CPC title

• Y02D30/70

  in wireless communication networks · CPC title

• H04W40/08 Primary

  based on transmission power · CPC title

• H04W40/248

  Connectivity information update · CPC title