Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090175169 | BONDING MULTIPLE RADIOS IN WIRELESS MULTI-HOP MESH NETWORKS - In a mesh network composed of multiple-radio nodes, we assign each radio to one of a plurality of channels, and treat a plurality of links between a pair of nodes as one logical link (bonded link). In some embodiments, the routing protocol is adapted to view each bonded link as one link having a combination of at least some of the properties of the constituent physical links. Traffic sent along a path is dynamically load balanced between the interfaces at each intermediate node based on the current utilization of each interface. In at least some embodiments, route discovery packets record the metrics of each component link of the bonded links leaving a node, but only one route discovery packet per pair of nodes is forwarded, reducing the route discovery packet traffic compared to if each route discovery packet were forwarded over each component link between the pair of nodes. | 07-09-2009 |
20090175238 | Multi-Channel Assignment Method For Multi-Radio Multi-Hop Wireless Mesh Networks - Techniques are described for automatically determining quasi-static per-link channel assignments for each radio in multiple-hop mesh networks having nodes with two or more radios and where only a small number of channels is available for use in the network. The method optimally assigns the channels to the radios of all of the nodes in the network so as to achieve the lowest interference among links and the highest possible bandwidth. | 07-09-2009 |
20090190531 | Mesh Node Mobility Across Static and Mobile Mesh Networks - Methods and systems for mobility of mobile nodes in mesh networks are taught wherein the mobile mesh nodes choose an attachment point to another mesh node based on predetermined criteria, such as the characteristics of the attachment point's path to a reference destination, and other factors local to the attachment point, such as load and available capacity. The mobile nodes forward packets on each other's behalf. Static and mobile nodes and the links between them are treated differently from each other in view of their respectively different properties. A special metric is used for paths that include mobile links in addition to the static mesh links and wired mesh links. Mobility is handled completely transparently to any client devices attached to the mesh nodes, where this attachment could be wireless or wired. | 07-30-2009 |
20110051677 | CHANNEL ASSIGNMENT FOR WIRELESS ACCESS NETWORKS - Channel assignment for wireless access networks is directed toward improved overall communication capability of the networks. A network is formed of wireless access points (APs) coupled via wired (and/or wireless) links and enabled to communicate with clients via radio channels of each of the APs. Local information is collected at each of the APs and processed to determine channel assignments according to a Neighbor Impact Metric (NIM) that accounts for one-hop and two-hop neighbors as well as neighbors not part of the network. Optionally, the NIM accounts for traffic load on the APs. The channel assignments are determined either on a centralized resource (such as a server or one of the APs) or via a distributed scheme across the APs. The local information includes how busy a channel is and local operating conditions such as error rate and interference levels. | 03-03-2011 |
20120134326 | BONDING MULTIPLE RADIOS IN WIRELESS MULTI-HOP MESH NETWORKS - In a mesh network composed of multiple-radio nodes, we assign each radio to one of a plurality of channels, and treat a plurality of links between a pair of nodes as one logical link (bonded link). In some embodiments, the routing protocol is adapted to view each bonded link as one link having a combination of at least some of the properties of the constituent physical links. Traffic sent along a path is dynamically load balanced between the interfaces at each intermediate node based on the current utilization of each interface. In at least some embodiments, route discovery packets record the metrics of each component link of the bonded links leaving a node, but only one route discovery packet per pair of nodes is forwarded, reducing the route discovery packet traffic compared to if each route discovery packet were forwarded over each component link between the pair of nodes. | 05-31-2012 |
20120176931 | ROUTE OPTIMIZATION FOR ON-DEMAND ROUTING PROTOCOLS FOR MESH NETWORKS - Various embodiments implement a set of low overhead mechanisms to enable on-demand routing protocols. The on-demand protocols use route accumulation during discovery floods to discover when better paths have become available even if the paths that the protocols are currently using are not broken. In other words, the mechanisms (or “Route Optimizations”) enable improvements to routes even while functioning routes are available. The Route Optimization mechanisms enable nodes in the network that passively learn routing information to notify nodes that need to know of changes in the routing information when the changes are important. Learning routing information on up-to-date paths and determining nodes that would benefit from the information is performed, in some embodiments, without any explicit control packet exchange. One of the Route Optimization mechanisms includes communicating information describing an improved route from a node where the improved route diverges from a less nearly optimal route. | 07-12-2012 |
20130033987 | METHOD FOR ENABLING THE EFFICIENT OPERATION OF ARBITRARILY INTERCONNECTED MESH NETWORKS - Wireless mesh networks (or “meshes”) are enabled for arbitrary interconnection to each other and may provide varying levels of coverage and redundancy as desired. Interoperability between meshes having differing configurations, internal operations, or both, may be freely intermixed and inter-operated in unrestricted combination. Enhanced explicit inter-bridge control protocols operate using pre-existing control packets. Pre-existing broadcast packet floods are used to learn the best paths across interconnected meshes (termed a “multi-mesh”). Enhanced routing protocols operating within each mesh may optionally examine information limited to the respective mesh when forwarding traffic, thus enabling robust multi-mesh scaling with respect to memory and processing time required by the routing protocols. Communication scalability is improved by enabling frequency diversity across the multi-mesh by configuring meshes within interference range of each other for operation at a plurality of frequencies. Each mesh may operate at a respective non-interfering frequency. | 02-07-2013 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20130338949 | SMART GRID ELECTRICITY USAGE MONITORING - An electricity monitoring system of monitoring electricity usage within a unit. The electricity monitoring system may include a transceiver module configured to receive an electricity usage report from a smart device associated with a unit. The electricity usage report may indicate electricity usage for the smart device. The electricity monitoring system may also include a determination module configured to generate a unit electricity usage report for the unit based on the received electricity usage report. The unit electricity usage report may indicate electricity usage for the unit. The transceiver module may be further configured to transmit the unit electricity usage report to a provider of electricity for the unit. | 12-19-2013 |
20140259107 | UTILIZING ROUTING FOR SECURE TRANSACTIONS - The present disclosure relates to methodologies, networks, and nodes for providing secure transaction routing among network components. Network transactions (messages) may be intentionally routed though networks using different paths where the act of following the particular node paths or traversing particular nodes provides a security enhancing feature for the messages. A transaction receiving node will examine the paths taken from a sending node to determine if the paths correspond to predetermined paths to verify the authenticity of the transaction. In some embodiments, predetermined paths may change in a predetermined sequence where the sequence itself becomes a portion of the security feature. | 09-11-2014 |
20150052188 | DEMAND RESPONSE EVENT DISSEMINATION SYSTEM AND METHOD - A method may include receiving peer data describing a set of peer clients associated with a demand response application server and describing how the peer clients communicate with one another. The peer data may be configured so that a subset of the peer clients directly communicate with the demand response application server and the demand response application server does not directly communicate with each of the peer clients. The method may also include receiving announcement data describing an event specified by the demand response application server and determining event response data responsive to the announcement data. The method may also include identifying, from the set of peer clients specified by the demand response application server, a set of recipient peer clients to receive the event response data. | 02-19-2015 |
20150095276 | DEMAND FLEXIBILITY ESTIMATION - An example embodiment includes a method of estimating demand flexibility of a site. The method may include quantifying energy usage parameters of the site and determining coefficients. Each of the coefficients may include a value based on one of the energy usage parameters. The method may also include multiplying each of the coefficients by a weighting factor associated with each of the coefficients. The method may also include summing products of the coefficients and the associated weighting factors. The method may further include estimating a demand flexibility of the site for a DR event involving energy usage curtailment. The demand flexibility may be based at least partially on the summation of the products of the coefficients and the associated weighting factors. | 04-02-2015 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20110075566 | Effective Bandwidth Path Metric and Path Computation Method for Wireless Mesh Networks with Wired Links - Enhanced mesh network performance is provided by computation of a path metric with respect to multi-hop paths between nodes in a mesh network and determination of a path through the mesh network that is optimal according to the path metric. Information is communicated in the mesh network according to the determined path. Nodes in the mesh network are enabled to communicate via one or more wireless links and/or one or more wired links. The path metric optionally includes an effective bandwidth path metric having elements (listed from highest to lowest conceptual priority) including an inverse of a sustainable data rate, a number of wireless links, and a number of wireless and wired links. The sustainable data rate is a measure of communication bandwidth that is deliverable by a path for a period of time. Accounting is made for interference between contiguous wireless links operating on the same channel. | 03-31-2011 |
20130329582 | Mesh Node Mobility Across Static and Mobile Mesh Networks - Methods and systems for mobility of mobile nodes in mesh networks are taught wherein the mobile mesh nodes choose an attachment point to another mesh node based on predetermined criteria, such as the characteristics of the attachment point's path to a reference destination, and other factors local to the attachment point, such as load and available capacity. The mobile nodes forward packets on each other's behalf. Static and mobile nodes and the links between them are treated differently from each other in view of their respectively different properties. A special metric is used for paths that include mobile links in addition to the static mesh links and wired mesh links. Mobility is handled completely transparently to any client devices attached to the mesh nodes, where this attachment could be wireless or wired. | 12-12-2013 |
20140185454 | Effective Bandwidth Path Metric and Path Computation Method for Wireless Mesh Networks with Wired Links - Enhanced mesh network performance is provided by computation of a path metric with respect to multi-hop paths between nodes in a mesh network and determination of a path through the mesh network that is optimal according to the path metric. Information is communicated in the mesh network according to the determined path. Nodes in the mesh network are enabled to communicate via one or more wireless links and/or one or more wired links. The path metric optionally includes an effective bandwidth path metric having elements (listed from highest to lowest conceptual priority) including an inverse of a sustainable data rate, a number of wireless links, and a number of wireless and wired links. The sustainable data rate is a measure of communication bandwidth that is deliverable by a path for a period of time. Accounting is made for interference between contiguous wireless links operating on the same channel. | 07-03-2014 |
20150098330 | BONDING MULTIPLE RADIOS IN WIRELESS MULTI-HOP MESH NETWORKS - In a mesh network composed of multiple-radio nodes, we assign each radio to one of a plurality of channels, and treat a plurality of links between a pair of nodes as one logical link (bonded link). In some embodiments, the routing protocol is adapted to view each bonded link as one link having a combination of at least some of the properties of the constituent physical links. Traffic sent along a path is dynamically load balanced between the interfaces at each intermediate node based on the current utilization of each interface. In at least some embodiments, route discovery packets record the metrics of each component link of the bonded links leaving a node, but only one route discovery packet per pair of nodes is forwarded, reducing the route discovery packet traffic compared to if each route discovery packet were forwarded over each component link between the pair of nodes. | 04-09-2015 |