Wireless Relay Node State Adjustment for Mesh Network Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Bluetooth Mesh networks face inefficiencies due to high bandwidth costs for path discovery and inability to timely detect changes in network topology, leading to packet-forwarding failures and unnecessary message transmissions.
Innovation Solution
Implementing controllable relay nodes that dynamically adjust their relay state based on the connectivity status and relay states of neighboring nodes, reducing unnecessary retransmissions and maintaining network connectivity by periodically broadcasting and receiving relay-state messages to maintain an optimal number of active relay nodes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If all nodes continuously broadcast relay-state messages to maintain network topology awareness, then network connectivity and adaptability are improved, but bandwidth consumption and message overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
Nodes broadcast relay-state messages periodically rather than continuously. The broadcast interval is dynamically adjusted based on network conditions - shorter intervals when topology changes are detected, longer intervals when the network is stable. This reduces unnecessary bandwidth consumption while maintaining adequate topology awareness.
Solution Approach 2:
Nodes monitor network conditions and adjust their relay-state message broadcast frequency based on feedback from detected topology changes. When changes are detected, the system increases broadcast frequency to maintain awareness; when stable, it decreases frequency to conserve bandwidth.
2Reliability
If a high number of relay nodes are activated to ensure network coverage, then network reliability is improved, but unnecessary message retransmissions increase
Solution Approach 1:
The relay state of nodes is dynamically adjusted based on current network conditions and topology. Nodes can transition between relay-active and relay-inactive states according to whether they are needed for maintaining connectivity, rather than remaining permanently active. This reduces unnecessary retransmissions while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational state parameter of relay nodes based on network conditions. Nodes are selected to be in relay-active state only when necessary for connectivity, and switched to relay-inactive state when redundant, thereby optimizing the balance between reliability and throughput.
3Speed
If relay nodes frequently update their state to adapt to topology changes, then network responsiveness is improved, but system stability deteriorates due to excessive state transitions
Solution Approach 1:
Nodes detect topology changes and prepare for state transitions in advance, but actual state changes are executed only when confirmed necessary and stable. This preliminary detection phase allows the system to respond quickly to changes while avoiding premature or unnecessary state transitions that would destabilize the network.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a stabilization mechanism that cushions against excessive state transitions. When topology changes are detected, the system evaluates whether state changes are truly necessary before executing them, preventing unnecessary transitions that would cause instability while maintaining responsiveness to genuine changes.
Data Source
AI summary
One embodiment described herein provides a system and method for adjusting the relay state of nodes in a wireless network. During operation, the system can obtain relay-state information associated with a plurality of neighboring nodes of a respective node in the wireless network. The system can identify, among the plurality of neighboring nodes, a set of relay neighbors capable of relaying messages based on the obtained relay-state information and determine a connectivity status of the set of relay neighbors. The system can then determine an expected relay state of the respective node based on a count and the connectivity status of the set of relay neighbors and can adjust a relay state of the respective node based on the expected relay state.