Sleepy Mesh End Device Communication Without a Parent Router
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Solution Overview
Problem
In a mesh network like Thread®, end devices are unable to communicate with each other when the parent router becomes unavailable due to proximity, power failure, or communication errors, as they rely on the router to forward packets.
Innovation Solution
End devices are enabled to communicate directly via peer-to-peer connections using coordinated sampled listening (CSL) techniques and can temporarily act as routers for each other, even when the primary router is unavailable.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If end devices rely on the parent router to forward packets in a mesh network, then network structure is simplified and energy consumption is reduced, but communication reliability deteriorates when the router becomes unavailable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-establishing peer-to-peer communication pathways between end devices before the router fails. When a router becomes unavailable, the system can immediately switch to pre-configured direct connections between end devices, eliminating communication interruptions without requiring complex real-time routing decisions
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism where end devices can directly communicate with each other through peer-to-peer connections, bypassing the need for the parent router as an intermediary. This direct communication pathway ensures reliability when the router fails while maintaining relatively simple device implementation
2Reliability
If end devices establish direct peer-to-peer connections to ensure communication reliability, then communication reliability improves, but device complexity and protocol requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by designing end devices with multi-functionality - they can operate both as standard end devices communicating through the router and as peer-to-peer communication nodes when needed. This allows a single device type to handle multiple communication modes without requiring separate specialized hardware for each function
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements self-service by enabling end devices to autonomously establish and maintain peer-to-peer connections when the router becomes unavailable. The devices can independently detect router failure, initiate direct communication pathways, and manage their own communication reliability without requiring complex centralized control or additional intermediary devices
3Use of energy by moving object
If sleepy end devices wake periodically to poll for messages, then energy consumption is reduced during idle periods, but communication responsiveness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the communication mode flexible - sleepy end devices can switch between periodic polling when the router is available and immediate peer-to-peer communication when the router fails. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to optimize for energy consumption during normal operation while ensuring rapid response when reliability becomes critical
Solution Approach 2:
The patent ensures continuity of useful action by maintaining the ability to communicate at any time through peer-to-peer pathways. Even when sleepy end devices are in low-power mode, the direct connection capability ensures that communication can resume immediately upon router failure without waiting for the next polling cycle, thus maintaining continuous communication capability
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments disclosed herein relate to enabling direct wireless device-to-device communication between sleepy end devices (SEDs) of a mesh (e.g., Thread®) network. A router may forward packets between end devices of the mesh network. However, if the router is not available, SEDs may not be able to communicate with each other using a mesh protocol. Embodiments presented herein enable end devices of the mesh network to communicate directly, without a router. Some embodiments are directed to changing a role of an end device to temporarily act as a router for a particular target end device. The role change may be based on a trigger event and may be temporary until a target action is performed by the target end device. In some embodiments, the end devices continue to operate as SEDs and use coordinated sampled listening techniques to communicate via the mesh protocol.