Mesh Network Reliability via Accumulated Message Success Rates
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing techniques for evaluating connection quality in mesh networks are inadequate as they only assess direct connections and do not account for the reliability of intermediary connections, leading to unreliable message transmission.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method that computes local and accumulated message success rates at nodes in a mesh network, allowing evaluation of connection quality between nodes and a target destination, including both direct and intermediary connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If RSSI is used to evaluate connection quality between nodes, then the measurement can be performed with simple signal strength detection, but the reliability assessment is incomplete because RSSI only indicates direct connection quality and does not account for intermediary connections
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the connection quality evaluation into two independent components: direct connection quality (measured by RSSI) and intermediary connection quality (measured by message success rates). This segmentation allows each component to be evaluated separately using appropriate metrics, then combined to assess overall path reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces message success rates as an intermediary metric that bridges the gap between direct connection measurement and end-to-end reliability assessment. By measuring the success rate of messages transmitted through intermediary nodes, the system can evaluate the reliability of intermediate connections without requiring direct measurement at each hop.
2Reliability
If active link evaluation with multiple messages is performed to assess connection quality, then more accurate reliability information can be obtained, but power consumption and resource overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by using a limited number of evaluation messages (e.g., 16 messages) rather than continuous or exhaustive message exchange. This partial sampling provides sufficient reliability information while significantly reducing the power consumption and resource overhead associated with continuous active link evaluation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs connection quality evaluation as part of its normal operational messages rather than requiring separate dedicated evaluation traffic. By incorporating reliability assessment into existing message exchange protocols, the system avoids the additional power consumption that would result from separate evaluation phases.
3Loss of time
If RSSI is used to assess direct connection reliability, then the measurement is simple and quick, but the evaluation does not account for failures in intermediary connections, leading to false confidence in message delivery
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary measurement of direct connection quality using RSSI before initiating the full reliability assessment. This preliminary action quickly establishes the quality of the direct link, allowing the system to make preliminary routing decisions or identify obviously poor connections without immediately engaging in time-consuming end-to-end message exchange tests.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a new dimension to connection quality assessment by introducing message success rates that measure end-to-end delivery reliability. This dimensional addition complements the traditional RSSI measurement (which measures signal strength at one hop) to provide a comprehensive view of overall path reliability that accounts for both direct and intermediary connection quality.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for determining network reliability include a first node in a mesh network computing a received message success rate for a connection from the first node to a second node that is a neighbor node to the first node; receiving from the second node, a first accumulated received message success rate, wherein the first accumulated received message success rate comprises a value indicating a success rate associated with a path from a source to the second node; computing, based on the first accumulated received message success rate and the received message success rate, a second accumulated received message success rate for a route from the source to the first node using the path from the source to the second node; selecting, based on the second accumulated received message success rate, the second node from a plurality of neighbor nodes; and receiving a message from the source via the second node.