Mesh Node Routing Adaptation to Traffic Intensity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mesh communication networks face inefficiencies in packet delivery due to unnecessary retransmissions and overhead from route discovery and maintenance, particularly in flooding methods, which drain power and cause interference, and routing methods that are not adaptive to varying traffic intensities.
Innovation Solution
A passive route discovery scheme where nodes initially operate in flooding mode to collect statistics, then switch to routing mode for high-intensity traffic, using a routing table to unicast packets when the destination address is known, and flooding when it is not, thereby avoiding route discovery overhead and adapting to traffic intensity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If flooding method is used for packet delivery in mesh network, then network coverage and simplicity are improved, but power consumption increases and interference is generated due to unnecessary retransmissions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic operation modes that adapt to traffic conditions. Nodes can switch between flooding mode (for initial packet delivery and network exploration) and routing mode (for efficient ongoing communication). This dynamic adaptation allows the network to maintain coverage while reducing energy consumption by avoiding unnecessary broadcasts when routing information is available.
2Loss of energy
If routing method is used for packet delivery in mesh network, then power consumption is reduced by avoiding unnecessary retransmissions, but overhead from route discovery and maintenance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs preliminary flooding actions to discover routes before formal routing begins. When a node receives a packet, it can flood the packet to discover routes to new destinations. These discovered routes are stored in routing tables for future use. This preliminary route discovery through flooding eliminates the need for separate route discovery protocols, reducing overall overhead and delay for subsequent communications.
3Loss of energy
If routing method is used for packet delivery in mesh network, then unnecessary retransmissions are avoided, but delay between network initialisation and first transmitted packet occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic transition from flooding mode to routing mode during network initialization. Initially, all nodes operate in flooding mode, allowing immediate packet transmission without waiting for route discovery. As routes are discovered and routing tables are populated, nodes gradually switch to routing mode. This dynamic approach eliminates initialisation delay while maintaining energy efficiency once the network is established.
4Ease of operation
If flooding is used for packet delivery, then no knowledge about mesh network is required, but all nodes are involved in retransmission generating interference
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments packet delivery into two distinct phases: flooding phase for initial delivery and route discovery, and routing phase for efficient ongoing communication. During flooding, all nodes participate in retransmission to ensure delivery and discover routes. Once routes are established, only specific nodes involved in the routing path retransmit packets. This segmentation reduces interference by limiting retransmissions to necessary nodes while maintaining operational simplicity through automatic mode transition.
Data Source
AI summary
A node operable in a mesh communication network and a method performed thereby for routing a received packet towards a destination are provided. The method includes receiving a packet addressed to a destination node in the mesh network, the packet including information related to address of source node, last hop address, address of destination node, and a hop counter. The method further includes determining whether the destination address is included in a routing table of the node in the mesh communication network. When the destination address is included in a routing table, the received packet is forwarded according to the routing table; or when the destination address is not included in a routing table, the received packet is flooded by broadcasting it in the mesh communication network.