Coordinating Sleep Periods in Mesh Network Nodes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Joining a mesh network becomes complex in environments where nodes sleep for extended periods, making it difficult to add new nodes or perform maintenance, as existing solutions require waiting for nodes to wake up or keeping them constantly powered, which affects battery life and operational efficiency.
Innovation Solution
Coordinating a temporarily reduced sleep period among mesh network nodes to facilitate service or installation activities, allowing nodes to wake up briefly for network operations and then revert to their normal sleep schedule, enabling efficient node addition and maintenance without prolonged power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If mesh network nodes sleep for extended periods to conserve power, then power consumption is reduced, but it becomes difficult to add new nodes or perform maintenance operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the sleep period configurable and adjustable. The coordinator node can modify the sleep period duration based on operational needs, allowing the system to transition between power-saving mode (longer sleep periods) and service-friendly mode (shorter sleep periods). This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction by enabling both power conservation during normal operation and ease of operation during maintenance windows.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of sleep period duration from a fixed value to a configurable variable. By allowing the coordinator node to adjust the sleep period parameter based on whether service operations are needed, the system can optimize between power consumption and operational accessibility. This parameter change enables the network to adapt its power-saving behavior to current operational requirements.
2Ease of operation
If the sleep period is reduced to facilitate service operations, then node installation becomes easier, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic action by establishing regular sleep-wake cycles with configurable durations. Nodes wake up at predetermined intervals to perform communications and then return to sleep mode. This periodic structure allows the system to maintain low average power consumption while providing predictable windows for service operations, resolving the contradiction between power saving and operational accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The sleep period duration is made dynamic and configurable rather than fixed. The coordinator can adjust the period length based on service requirements, allowing shorter periods during maintenance windows and longer periods during normal operation. This dynamic adjustment enables the system to balance power consumption against ease of operation based on current needs.
3Ease of operation
If nodes remain constantly powered to enable service operations, then node installation and maintenance become simple, but battery life is significantly reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic wake-sleep cycles where nodes remain in low-power sleep mode most of the time but wake up at predetermined intervals to perform necessary communications. This periodic action dramatically reduces average power consumption compared to constant operation, thereby extending battery life while still providing opportunities for service operations during wake periods.
Solution Approach 2:
The coordinator node distributes sleep period configuration information to all network nodes in advance, allowing them to synchronize their wake-sleep cycles. This preliminary configuration enables nodes to operate efficiently in coordinated sleep mode, extending battery life while ensuring that service operations can be performed during predetermined wake windows without requiring constant power.
Data Source
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AI summary
A set sleep period is coordinated among a plurality of mesh network nodes to conserve power, and a temporarily reduced sleep period is coordinated among the plurality of nodes to facilitate mesh network node service or installation activity. The reduced sleep period comprises scheduling a period of time during which the sleep period is reduced, or reverting from the temporarily reduced sleep period to the original set sleep period after predetermined period of time. Temporarily reducing the sleep period includes distributing a message throughout the mesh network when the mesh network nodes are awake.