Wireless Mesh Network Bit-Synchronization Power Management
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current mesh network technologies face challenges with high power consumption, limited deployment on standard hardware platforms, and inefficiencies in data transmission and synchronization due to clock tolerance issues and half-duplex communication architectures, especially in environments with multi-path fading and long-range interference.
Innovation Solution
A cooperative bit-synchronized frequency-modulated wireless mesh network with a novel node architecture that includes a main controller with adjustable clock states and an external sleep controller, enabling low duty cycles and efficient data transmission through flooding mechanisms, and a 'redux phase' to improve responsiveness and power efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If bit-synchronization is implemented in mesh networks, then power consumption is reduced through lower duty cycles, but clock tolerance and synchronization precision deteriorate due to manufacturing variations
Solution Approach 1:
A coordinator node acts as an intermediary with a reference clock to synchronize all other nodes in the network. The coordinator broadcasts timing information to slave nodes, which adjust their local clocks based on received synchronization data, thereby maintaining bit-synchronization without requiring all nodes to have high-precision clocks
Solution Approach 2:
The network is segmented into a master coordinator node and slave nodes with different functional roles. The coordinator handles synchronization and timing-critical functions, while slave nodes can use lower-precision clocks for non-critical operations, reducing overall power consumption
2Reliability
If guard time is extended to accommodate clock tolerances, then synchronization reliability is improved, but network productivity deteriorates due to increased idle time
Solution Approach 1:
The guard time is made dynamic rather than static. The coordinator adjusts guard time intervals based on observed clock drift and synchronization performance, extending guard time only when necessary to maintain reliability while minimizing idle time during normal operation
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where slave nodes report timing deviations to the coordinator, which then adjusts synchronization intervals and guard time settings to optimize the balance between reliability and productivity
3Device complexity
If in-band clock synchronization is used, then hardware complexity is reduced, but network responsiveness deteriorates due to broadcast propagation delays
Solution Approach 1:
The coordinator node performs preliminary clock adjustments by predicting timing offsets based on historical data and network conditions, applying corrections before significant drift occurs, thereby reducing the need for lengthy synchronization broadcasts
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the network receive different levels of synchronization attention. Nodes closer to the coordinator receive more frequent updates, while distant nodes use interpolation and local clock holding to maintain synchronization, reducing overall broadcast overhead
4Use of energy by moving object
If duty cycle is reduced to save power, then energy efficiency is improved, but clock drift increases due to longer sleep periods
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses periodic synchronization bursts where the coordinator wakes up at regular intervals to broadcast timing information, allowing slave nodes to remain in low-power mode between bursts while maintaining acceptable clock accuracy through the periodic corrections
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables reliable, low-power remote data acquisition and device control with multiple channel-sharing clients, reduces power consumption, and enhances sensor network responsivity while allowing deployment on existing hardware platforms, overcoming limitations of clock synchronization and half-duplex communication.
Implementation Method 1
cooperative bit-synchronized frequency-modulated wireless mesh network
Data Source
AI summary
The present relates to a node to be integrated in a network of wirelessly connected nodes, to a network system, to method for operating a node of a network, and to a method for communicating within a network. A method is disclosed for communicating within a network of cooperatively synchronized nodes, configured to broadcast data packets to the network during broadcast phases through a flooding mechanism, each data packet comprising hop data. The method comprises, for each broadcast phase, broadcasting a data packet from a source node during a predetermined time slot; and receiving the data packet at one or more destination node during said predetermined time slot. The broadcasting and receiving are repeated according to the hop data, at respective predetermined time slots, wherein each destination node corresponds to a source node in a next execution of broadcasting and the data packet received corresponds substantially to the data packet to be broadcasted in the next repetition.