Self-Healing Extended Star Network for Wireless Lighting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wireless lighting communication systems face challenges in scalability, network packet dropouts, and inefficient communication pathways, leading to increased processing time and energy consumption due to unnecessary node involvement and network restructuring.
Innovation Solution
The extended star luminaire network employs algorithms to minimize hop distance to the gateway node, reduce the number of nodes processing messages, and optimize RF node roles to conserve energy and processing time by designating fewer nodes as repeaters, using a self-healing protocol to maintain network stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a routing mesh is used to enable wireless lighting systems to scale, then the system can support more nodes, but network packet dropouts increase and require retransmission
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a gateway node as an intermediary that centralizes communication for the extended star network. Instead of allowing direct peer-to-peer routing between all nodes (which causes packet drops in mesh networks), the gateway acts as a mediator that receives and forwards messages to the appropriate nodes, ensuring reliable delivery while maintaining scalability.
2Reliability
If all RF nodes process and forward messages in a routing mesh, then message delivery is achieved, but energy consumption and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the network into two distinct functional groups: gateway nodes that handle message routing and forwarding, and end nodes that only send and receive messages. This segmentation allows end nodes to conserve energy by not participating in message forwarding, while the gateway handles all processing responsibilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway node is designed with multi-functionality, serving as both an end node (able to send and receive lighting control messages) and as a routing node (able to forward messages between other end nodes and the controller). This eliminates the need for all nodes to perform routing functions, reducing overall energy consumption.
3Device complexity
If a star network with a single gateway is used, then message routing is simplified, but the maximum network size is limited by the gateway's radio strength
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a nested structure where multiple end nodes are nested under a single gateway node in an extended star configuration. The gateway itself can be nested within a larger network infrastructure, allowing the system to scale by adding more end nodes to existing gateways or adding additional gateway nodes as needed.
Data Source
AI summary
An example method includes, in response to receiving a gateway heartbeat message from a lighting system non-connected gateway RF node, incrementing a gateway heartbeat counter. In response to receiving a repeater RF node heartbeat message from a network RF node of lighting system non-connected network RF nodes set to a repeater role, incrementing a repeater heartbeat counter. In response to a cycle time exceeding a cycle time timeout, the gateway heartbeat counter not exceeding a gateway heartbeat threshold, and the repeater heartbeat counter exceeding a repeater heartbeat threshold, selecting a selected network RF node of the RF nodes set to the repeater role. Transmitting, via an extended star wireless network, a registration message to the selected network RF node. In response to transmitting the registration message and having a network RF node role state set to an unconnected role, setting the network RF node role state to a connected role.