Flat Network Configuration with Delegating Long-Range Nodes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing networks struggle to efficiently handle both time-critical and non-time-critical messages simultaneously, often requiring complex configurations or additional hardware, leading to undesirable delays and increased communication costs.
Innovation Solution
A method to configure a network of node devices with both long and short-range communication interfaces as a single flat network, dividing devices into groups with selected delegating nodes for long-range communication, and allocating timeslots for non-time-critical messages, ensuring efficient and reliable message transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If node devices are configured into isolated small networks, then long-range communication is enabled for each network, but message transmission across network boundaries experiences undesirable delay
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the large network into multiple groups of node devices, with selected delegating nodes in each group responsible for long-range communication. This segmentation allows time-critical messages to be transmitted directly between groups without requiring routing through remote devices, thereby reducing transmission delay while maintaining reliable communication across the entire network.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces delegating nodes as intermediaries between ordinary node devices and remote devices. These delegating nodes handle long-range communication tasks, allowing time-critical messages to be transmitted efficiently across network boundaries without the delay caused by routing through multiple isolated networks and remote devices.
2Adaptability or versatility
If long-range communication interfaces are activated for all node devices, then direct external communication is enabled, but communication cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by enabling long-range communication capability only at specific locations (delegating nodes) rather than uniformly across all node devices. This allows the network to maintain adaptability for external communication while significantly reducing communication costs by limiting long-range interface activation to only the necessary delegating nodes.
Solution Approach 2:
The delegating nodes serve multiple functions: they act as regular node devices for short-range communication within their group, and simultaneously serve as gateway nodes for long-range external communication. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for every node to have long-range capabilities, reducing overall communication costs while maintaining full adaptability.
3Device complexity
If extra hardware such as segment controllers is added for each small network, then network segmentation is achieved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables node devices to automatically perform grouping and delegating node selection without requiring extra hardware controllers. The system self-organizes into groups and identifies delegating nodes autonomously, reducing device complexity while maintaining reliable message routing capabilities across the segmented network structure.
4Device complexity
If all node devices communicate via short-range interfaces only, then network simplicity is maintained, but time-critical messages to external devices experience delay
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the network into groups with designated delegating nodes that handle long-range communication. This allows the majority of node devices to maintain simple short-range communication configurations while still enabling fast external communication through the specialized delegating nodes, thus resolving the contradiction between simplicity and speed.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of requiring all node devices to have long-range communication capability (excessive action), the patent applies partial action by enabling long-range capability only in selected delegating nodes. This partial implementation is sufficient to achieve low-latency external communication while maintaining overall network simplicity.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method of configuring a network comprising a plurality of node devices and a method of transmitting a message in such as network are disclosed. Each node device comprises a long range communication interface and a short range communication interface, the method comprises the steps of: commissioning all of the plurality of node devices to form a single flat network sharing same network credentials and communication resources; dividing the plurality of node devices into a plurality of groups; selecting one or more node devices from each group as delegating node devices for delegating messages from other node devices by way of their long range communication interface(s); and activating the long range communication interfaces of the delegating node devices. When a message is received by a node device in such a network, it first determines whether the message is a time-critical message. The message is transmitted immediately if the message is time-critical. Otherwise the message is transmitted at a specific timeslot different than a timeslot allocated for messages from a neighboring group of node devices, if the message is non-time-critical.