Dynamic Join Timing From Beacon Congestion Notification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing network formation strategies fail to proactively recognize and respond to congestion, leading to inefficient and slow network formation due to repeated join failures and bandwidth wastage, especially in lossy networks with dynamic conditions.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a mechanism to indicate network congestion through a beacon with a congestion variable, allowing joining nodes to adjust their join times dynamically based on the congestion level, thereby spacing out join requests and adapting to network conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a new node joins a congested network, then the node can establish connectivity and begin transmitting data, but the congestion is exacerbated and existing traffic is disrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by having new nodes query congestion status and receive notification before actually joining the network. The system preemptively identifies congested networks and prevents new nodes from joining them, thereby avoiding the exacerbation of existing congestion and protecting the reliability of ongoing traffic while still allowing new nodes to join non-congested networks and maintain overall network productivity
2Reliability
If congestion notification is implemented to prevent new nodes from joining congested networks, then packet delivery reliability is improved, but the time required for new nodes to find and join a suitable network increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback by establishing a communication loop where congestion status information is continuously collected from network nodes and fed back to incoming nodes through a query-response mechanism. This feedback system enables new nodes to make informed decisions about which networks to join by receiving real-time congestion notifications, thereby reducing unnecessary join attempts and actually decreasing overall join time while maintaining high packet delivery reliability
3Loss of time
If new nodes are allowed to join any network regardless of congestion status, then network join time is minimized, but overall network performance deteriorates due to increased congestion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the network join process adaptive rather than static. Instead of allowing all nodes to join any network uniformly, the system dynamically adjusts join permissions based on real-time congestion conditions. New nodes can quickly join non-congested networks when conditions permit, but are redirected when congestion is detected, thereby optimizing both join time and maintaining overall network throughput through condition-dependent join policies
Data Source
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AI summary
A method includes a joining node, not yet joined to a network, listening to a second node that is joined to the network. The joining node may determine a join time at which to request to join the network. The joining node may receive from the second node a beacon indicating time synchronization of the network and further including a first congestion variable indicating a level of congestion of the network. The joining node may adjust the join time based on the first congestion variable in the beacon. At the join time, the joining node may transmit an association request to join the network.