Wireless Network Nodes Reacting to Sensed Events via Hint Messages

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing wireless mesh network systems for IoT devices, such as lighting systems, face inefficiencies and delays in communication due to centralized intelligence at a gateway, leading to performance lags and potential safety issues, especially in dense networks with high traffic or when the gateway is busy.

Innovation Solution

Implementing 'hint' messages that proactively instruct nodes on how to react to events before receiving explicit commands from the gateway, allowing nodes to act independently and reducing reliance on timely gateway communication, thereby enhancing reaction time and network robustness.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a gateway functions as a central controller that sends multicast messages to nodes, then network management is centralized and easy to control, but communication delays occur when the gateway is busy or RF channel availability is low

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecentralized controlVSAvoidcommunication delay

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The gateway sends hint messages to nodes in advance, providing them with information about upcoming events or conditions. Nodes use these hints to proactively prepare and take action before receiving explicit commands from the gateway, reducing communication delay while maintaining centralized control architecture

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

Nodes are empowered to independently process hint messages and autonomously determine actions based on local conditions. This self-service capability allows nodes to react immediately to events without waiting for gateway confirmation, reducing communication latency while the gateway retains overall network management authority

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

2Reliability

If nodes wait for explicit commands from the gateway before acting, then centralized control is maintained, but significant lag exists between events and corresponding control functions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecentralized control authorityVSAvoidreaction time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The gateway sends hint messages to nodes in advance, providing them with information about upcoming events or conditions. Nodes use these hints to proactively prepare and take action before receiving explicit commands from the gateway, reducing communication delay while maintaining centralized control architecture

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

Nodes send event notifications to the gateway and simultaneously use locally stored hint messages to determine appropriate actions. This feedback mechanism allows nodes to act immediately based on hints while still reporting to the gateway, improving reaction time without sacrificing centralized control authority

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Quantity of substance

If the gateway sends multicast messages through the mesh network, then network resources are utilized efficiently, but packet collision and communication delays increase in dense networks with high traffic

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenetwork resource utilizationVSAvoidpacket transmission delay

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The gateway sends hint messages to nodes in advance, providing them with information about upcoming events or conditions. Nodes use these hints to proactively prepare and take action before receiving explicit commands from the gateway, reducing communication delay while maintaining centralized control architecture

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

Nodes are empowered to independently process hint messages and autonomously determine actions based on local conditions. This self-service capability allows nodes to react immediately to events without waiting for gateway confirmation, reducing communication latency while the gateway retains overall network management authority

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS11678296B1Systems and methods for controlling nodes of a wireless network in response to sensed events

Publication Date: 2023.06.13 SYNAPSE WIRELESS INC

AI summary

A backend network controller, such as a gateway, pushes “hint” instructions to nodes with instructions on planned reactions to asynchronous events so that the nodes are capable of reacting to hinted events before being instructed by the network controller to do so. Thereafter, when a sensor node senses and reports an event to the network controller or otherwise, one or more nodes having received a hint corresponding to the event may recognize the occurrence of the event in response to the reporting message and then react to the event before receiving a command from the network controller to do so. Thus, the nodes are capable of reacting to events faster than would otherwise be possible relying only on commands from the network controller.