Overloading broadcast dwell intervals in unsynchronized channel hopping mesh networks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11916683-B2
Application number	US-202117233933-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 19, 2021
Priority date	Apr 19, 2021
Publication date	Feb 27, 2024
Grant date	Feb 27, 2024

Abstract

A node includes a processor coupled to a wireless transceiver and a memory. The memory includes instructions that can cause the processor to store a broadcast channel hopping timing interval and a broadcast channel hopping sequence, as well as, channel hopping timings and channel hopping sequences for tracked neighbor nodes. The instructions can also cause the processor to determine whether a destination node for a unicast message corresponds to tracked neighbor nodes. Based on a determination that the destination node does not correspond to any tracked neighbor nodes, the processor can determine (i) a broadcast dwell interval based on the broadcast channel hopping timing interval and (ii) a next broadcast channel based on the broadcast channel hopping sequence. Additionally, instructions can cause the processor to transmit the unicast message to the destination node during the broadcast dwell interval.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A node, comprising:
a processor;
a wireless transceiver communicatively coupled to the processor and configured to receive communications based on a channel hopping timing interval and a channel hopping sequence; and
a memory communicatively coupled to the processor and comprising instructions that are executable by the processor to cause the processor to:
store a broadcast channel hopping timing interval and a broadcast channel hopping sequence;
store a channel hopping timing and a channel hopping sequence for each of a plurality of tracked neighbor nodes;
determine whether a destination node for a unicast message corresponds to any of the plurality of tracked neighbor nodes;
based on a determination that the destination node does not correspond to any of the plurality of tracked neighbor nodes, determine (i) a next broadcast dwell interval based on the broadcast channel hopping timing interval and (ii) a next broadcast channel based on the broadcast channel hopping sequence;
based on the determination that the destination node does not correspond to any of the plurality of tracked neighbor nodes, determine to transmit the unicast message to the destination node during the next broadcast dwell interval;
at a start of the next broadcast dwell interval, listen for broadcast traffic; and
back off sending of the unicast message to the destination node when broadcast traffic is detected during the next broadcast dwell interval.

2. The node of claim 1 , wherein the memory further comprises instructions that are executable by the processor to cause the processor to:
transmit the unicast message to the destination node during the next broadcast dwell interval via the next broadcast channel when broadcast traffic is not detected.

3. The node of claim 1 , wherein the memory further comprises instructions that are executable by the processor to cause the processor to:
in response to detecting the broadcast traffic, delay the sending of the unicast message until later in the next broadcast dwell interval.

4. The node of claim 1 , wherein the memory further comprises instructions that are executable by the processor to cause the processor to:
in response to detecting the broadcast traffic, back off the sending of the unicast message until after the next broadcast dwell interval.

5. The node of claim 1 , wherein the memory further comprises instructions that are executable by the processor to cause the processor to:
receive a NACK message from the destination node for the unicast message; and
in response to receiving the NACK message, re-send the unicast message.

6. The node of claim 1 , wherein the memory further comprises instructions that are executable by the processor to cause the processor to:
determine a failure to receive an ACK message from the destination node for the unicast message; and
in response to determining the failure to receive the ACK message, re-send the unicast message.

7. The node of claim 1 , wherein the memory further comprises instructions that are executable by the processor to cause the processor to:
receive a NACK message from the destination node; and
in response to receiving the NACK message, re-send the unicast message during a later broadcast dwell interval.

8. The node of claim 1 , wherein the memory further comprises instructions that are executable by the processor to cause the processor to:
determine a failure to receive an ACK message from the destination node; and
in response to determining the failure to receive the ACK message, re-send the unicast message during a later broadcast dwell interval.

9. The node of claim 1 , wherein the memory further comprises instructions that are executable by the processor to cause the processor to:
based on a determination that the destination node corresponds to one of the plurality of tracked neighbor nodes, determine a unicast dwell interval based on a channel hopping timing and a channel hopping sequence for a tracked neighbor node from among the plurality of tracked neighbor nodes; and
transmit the unicast message to the destination node during the unicast dwell interval.

10. The node of claim 1 , wherein the memory further comprises instructions that are executable by the processor to cause the processor to:
based on the determination that the destination node does not correspond to a neighbor node of the plurality of tracked neighbor nodes, request the channel hopping timing and the channel hopping sequence for the destination node;
receive the channel hopping timing and the channel hopping sequence for the destination node; and
update a list of the plurality of tracked neighbor nodes by adding the channel hopping timing and the channel hopping sequence for the destination node, wherein the list of the plurality of tracked neighbor nodes comprises the channel hopping timing and the channel hopping sequence for each of the plurality of tracked neighbor nodes.

11. A method for transmitting unicast messages in an unsynchronized channel hopping wireless network, the method comprising:
storing, by a node, a first channel hopping timing interval and a first channel hopping sequence for the node, wherein the node comprises a wireless transceiver and a processor, and wherein the wireless transceiver of the node is configured to receive communications based on the first channel hopping timing interval and the first channel hopping sequence;
storing, by the node, a broadcast channel hopping timing interval and a broadcast channel hopping sequence;
storing, by the node, a plurality of channel hopping timings and channel hopping sequences for each of a plurality of tracked neighbor nodes;
determining, by the node, whether a destination node for a unicast message that is pending at the node corresponds to any of the plurality of tracked neighbor nodes;
based on a determination that the destination node for the unicast message does not correspond to any of the tracked neighbor nodes, determining, by the node, (i) a next broadcast dwell interval based on the broadcast channel hopping timing interval and (ii) a next broadcast channel based on the broadcast channel hopping sequence;
based on the determination that the destination node for the unicast message does not correspond to any of the tracked neighbor nodes, determining, by the node, to send the unicast message to the destination node during the next broad cast dwell interval;
at a start of the next broadcast dwell interval, listening, by the node, for broadcast traffic; and
back off sending, by the node, the unicast message to the destination node when the node detects broadcast traffic during the next broadcast dwell interval.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
sending, by the node, the unicast message to the destination node during the next broadcast dwell interval via the next broadcast channel when the node fails to detect broadcast traffic during the next broadcast dwell interval.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
in response to detecting the broadcast traffic, delaying, by the node, the sending of the unicast message until after the next broadcast dwell interval.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
receiving, by the node, a NACK message from the destination node; and
in response to receiving the NACK message, re-sending, by the node, the unicast message.

15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
determining, by the node, a failure to receive an ACK message from the destination node; and
in response to determining the failure to receive the ACK message, re-sending, by t

Assignees

• Landis & Gyr Innovations Inc
• Landis & Gyr Technology Inc

Inventors

• Hett Christopher
• Hanley James Patrick

Classifications

• H04L1/1896 Primary

  ARQ related signaling · CPC title

• H04L1/189

  Transmission or retransmission of more than one copy of a message · CPC title

• H04L1/1893

  Physical mapping arrangements (physical resource mapping in general H04L5/00) · CPC title

• H04L5/0012

  Hopping in multicarrier systems · CPC title

• H04L5/0082

  at predetermined intervals · CPC title