Low latency hybrid network for battery powered endpoint communications

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11234137-B2
Application number	US-201816159577-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 12, 2018
Priority date	Oct 12, 2018
Publication date	Jan 25, 2022
Grant date	Jan 25, 2022

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 servicing read requests within a hybrid network, the method comprising:
receiving, at a first node included in a plurality of nodes within the hybrid network, a first read request from a first server via a first communication link, wherein the first communication link comprises a first active cellular communication link, wherein the plurality of nodes is configured by the first server to take turns establishing separate active cellular communication links with the first server at staggered time intervals according to a first schedule, wherein the first node establishes a first separate active cellular communication link with the first server at least from a first time to a second time that is after the first time, a second node included in the plurality of nodes establishes a second separate active cellular communication link with the first server at least from the second time to a third time that is after the second time, and a third node included in the plurality of nodes establishes a third separate active cellular communication link with the first server at least from a fourth time that is after the third time to a fifth time that is after the fourth time, and wherein, according to the first schedule, the first separate active cellular communication link, the second separate active cellular communication link, and the third separate active cellular communication link are established with the first server such that one node or a subset of nodes included in the plurality of nodes has a separate active cellular communication link established with the first server at any given time during a first continuous time interval that extends from the first time to the fifth time;
determining that the first read request is directed to the second node;
generating a second communication link that couples the first node to the second node, wherein the second communication link comprises a second type of communication link; and
transmitting a first message associated with the first read request to the second node via the second communication link to allow the second node to service the first read request.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein, in response to receiving the first message from the first node, the second node generates a third communication link that couples the second node to the first server, wherein the third communication link comprises an active cellular communication link.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein the second node uploads metrology data associated with a current time interval to the first server via the third communication link to service the first read request.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the second node is unable to establish an active cellular communication link, wherein the second node transmits metrology data associated with a current time interval to the first node via the second communication link, and wherein the first node uploads the metrology data to the first server via the first communication link to service the first read request.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein generating the second communication link comprises establishing a first mesh link with at least one adjacent node, wherein the at least one adjacent node either comprises the second node or is coupled to the second node by one or more other mesh links.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising generating the first communication link at a first communication time based on the first schedule generated by the first server.

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

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the first node consumes a first amount of power over a given time interval to generate the first communication link, and the first node consumes a second amount of power over the given time interval to generate the second communication link, and wherein the first amount of power is greater than the second amount of power.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the hybrid network includes a first network associated with the first active cellular communication link and a second network associated with the second type of communication link.

10. 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.

11. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing program instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to service read requests within a hybrid network by performing the steps of:
receiving, at a first node included in a plurality of nodes within the hybrid network, a first read request from a first server via a first communication link, wherein the first communication link comprises a first active cellular communication link, wherein the plurality of nodes is configured by the first server to take turns establishing separate active cellular communication links with the first server at staggered time intervals according to a first schedule, wherein the first node establishes a first separate active cellular communication link with the first server at least from a first time to a second time that is after the first time, a second node included in the plurality of nodes establishes a second separate active cellular communication link with the first server at least from the second time to a third time that is after the second time, and a third node included in the plurality of nodes establishes a third separate active cellular communication link with the first server at least from a fourth time that is after the third time to a fifth time that is after the fourth time, and wherein, according to the first schedule, the first separate active cellular communication link, the second separate active cellular communication link, and the third separate active cellular communication link are established with the first server such that one node or a subset of nodes included in the plurality of nodes has a separate active cellular communication link established with the first server at any given time during a first continuous time interval that extends from the first time to the fifth time;
determining that the first read request is directed to the second node;
generating a second communication link that couples the first node to the second node, wherein the second communication link comprises a second type of communication link; and
transmitting a first message associated with the first read request to the second node via the second communication link to allow the second node to service the first read request.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11 , further comprising the steps of:
receiving metrology data associated with a current time interval from the second node via the second communication link; and
uploading the metrology data to the first server via the first communication link to service the first read request on behalf of the second node.

13. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11 , wherein the step of generating the second communication link comprises establishing a first mesh link with at least one adjacent node, wherein the at least one adjacent node either comprises the second node or is coupled to the second node by one or more other mesh links.

14. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 11 , wherein the second type of

Assignees

• Itron Inc

Inventors

• Cahill-O'Brien Barry
• Edwards Bruce

Classifications

• H04L1/1812

  Hybrid protocols; Hybrid automatic repeat request [HARQ] · CPC title

• Y02D30/70

  in wireless communication networks · CPC title

• H04W52/0216

  using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame · CPC title

• H04W76/12 Primary

  Setup of transport tunnels · CPC title

• H04W40/04

  based on wireless node resources · CPC title