Wireless Multihop Network Node Density Adaptation

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Solution Overview

Problem

High-density wireless mesh networks face communication efficiency and congestion issues due to high neighbor density, leading to increased system overhead, message collisions, and degraded radio link performance.

Innovation Solution

Implementing connection-less broadcasts for visibility messages that report node presence and usefulness, allowing nodes to assess neighborhood density and adjust operational parameters such as transmit power and data rates to optimize communication efficiency.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If nodes maintain a high number of neighbors to increase coverage and provide alternative communication paths, then network robustness and self-healing capability improve, but memory and processing capacity requirements increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenetwork robustnessVSAvoidmemory and processing capacity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the neighbor management process into periodic visibility message exchanges, where nodes divide continuous monitoring into discrete time intervals. This allows nodes to maintain awareness of many neighbors without continuously processing data from all of them, reducing memory and processing requirements while preserving network robustness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Nodes exchange visibility messages periodically rather than continuously, allowing them to maintain neighbor awareness with reduced communication overhead. This periodic action reduces the processing capacity needed to handle neighbor management while maintaining reliable alternative paths for robust communication.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

2Reliability

If nodes exchange frequent visibility messages to maintain neighbor awareness and optimize routing, then network connectivity and route optimization improve, but system overhead increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenetwork connectivityVSAvoidsystem overhead

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements periodic visibility message exchanges at optimized intervals rather than continuous communication. This reduces system overhead and energy consumption while maintaining sufficient neighbor awareness for reliable connectivity and route optimization.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

Solution Approach 2:

Nodes dynamically adjust transmission parameters such as message frequency and power levels based on neighborhood density assessments. In high-density areas, nodes reduce message frequency to lower overhead, while maintaining connectivity through adaptive parameter modification.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Area of stationary object

If nodes transmit at high power levels to reach distant neighbors, then communication range and neighbor count increase, but message collisions and interference increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommunication rangeVSAvoidmessage collisions

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of stationary objectVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

Nodes dynamically adjust transmission power levels based on assessed neighborhood density. In high-density areas, nodes reduce power to minimize collisions and interference, while in low-density areas they increase power to extend communication range, optimizing the balance between coverage and collision reduction.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

Transmission power is made dynamic rather than static, allowing nodes to adapt power levels in real-time based on local density conditions. This dynamic adjustment reduces message collisions in dense areas while maintaining extended range in sparse areas.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

4Measurement precision

If nodes increase communication frequency to manage dense neighborhoods, then neighbor management accuracy improves, but radio link performance degrades

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveneighbor density assessmentVSAvoidradio link performance

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

Nodes adapt message frequency and transmission parameters based on density assessments. In high-density areas, nodes reduce communication frequency to prevent degradation of radio link performance, while maintaining sufficient assessment accuracy through optimized sampling intervals.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS9237024B2Informational broadcast messages and its uses in wireless multihop networks

Publication Date: 2016.01.12 EATON INTELLIGENT POWER LTD

AI summary

In a wireless multihop network having node devices within communication range neighboring node devices in a corresponding local neighborhood, the node devices generate visibility messages to be transmitted via connection-less broadcast. The visibility messages include at least an identifier of the corresponding node device. Visibility messages received by each of the node devices from the one or more neighboring node devices are processed to determine a measure of density of the local neighborhood. This measure of density also accounts for the heterogeneous transmit power capabilities of node devices and is used for updating of one or more operational parameter of the node device relating to utilization of the radio communications medium by that node device. A degree of utilization of the medium through the control of transmission data rate and power is adjusted based on an inverse relation to the measure of density determined from the received visibility messages.