Targeted parent selection for battery-powered devices

    公开(公告)号:US11770738B2

    公开(公告)日:2023-09-26

    申请号:US17318634

    申请日:2021-05-12

    Applicant: ITRON, INC.

    CPC classification number: H04W28/06 H04W40/04 H04W40/12 H04W76/10 H04W84/18

    Abstract: In various embodiments, a system within a wireless network comprises a set of battery-powered device (BPD) nodes within the wireless network, and a joining BPD node that identifies, in a subset of BPD nodes, a set of potential parent nodes, filters the set of BPD nodes based on network optimization criteria to identify a target parent node, and transmits a request message to establish a communications link with the target parent node as a child node, where the target parent node in the set of BPD nodes executes instructions to receive the request message from the joining BPD node, evaluate data associated with the joining BPD node with acceptance criteria, and upon determining that the joining BPD node meets the acceptance criteria, establish the communications link with the joining BPD node, where, upon the communications link being established, the joining BPD node is a child to the target parent node.

    Power-efficient passive discovery by network devices

    公开(公告)号:US11071049B2

    公开(公告)日:2021-07-20

    申请号:US16555747

    申请日:2019-08-29

    Applicant: Itron, Inc.

    Abstract: Disclosed are techniques to minimize the electricity consumption of battery powered devices during network discovery and other phases of network operation. Example techniques include efficiently listening for other mains powered and battery powered devices within communication range of the battery powered device by, for example, shortening its listening window depending on how close the time reference maintained by the battery powered device is estimated to be to the time reference used by the other mains powered and battery powered devices within communication range. Other techniques include slowing the rate of listening by the battery powered device when the battery powered device is unlikely to be able to receive discovery messages or is already connected to the network. Other techniques include using knowledge of the network to listen for discovery messages on a channel or channels on which other devices are likely to be transmitting.

    POWER-EFFICIENT PASSIVE DISCOVERY BY NETWORK DEVICES

    公开(公告)号:US20210068039A1

    公开(公告)日:2021-03-04

    申请号:US16555747

    申请日:2019-08-29

    Applicant: Itron, Inc.

    Abstract: Disclosed are techniques to minimize the electricity consumption of battery powered devices during network discovery and other phases of network operation. Example techniques include efficiently listening for other mains powered and battery powered devices within communication range of the battery powered device by, for example, shortening its listening window depending on how close the time reference maintained by the battery powered device is estimated to be to the time reference used by the other mains powered and battery powered devices within communication range. Other techniques include slowing the rate of listening by the battery powered device when the battery powered device is unlikely to be able to receive discovery messages or is already connected to the network. Other techniques include using knowledge of the network to listen for discovery messages on a channel or channels on which other devices are likely to be transmitting.

    Coordinating communications between nodes having asynchronous time slot schedules

    公开(公告)号:US10757648B2

    公开(公告)日:2020-08-25

    申请号:US16024574

    申请日:2018-06-29

    Applicant: ITRON, INC.

    Abstract: A wireless mesh network includes a child node coupled to a parent node. The parent node transmits time sync beacons that indicate a time slot number and a start time for a current time slot. The child node receives the time sync beacons and determines a delta between the current time slot number of the child node and the current time slot number of the parent node. The child node also computes an offset between a start time of the current slot of the child node and the start time of the current slot of the parent node. The child node reports the delta and the offset to the parent node. Based on the delta and the offset, the parent node determines when, and on what channel, the child node is predicted to be receiving transmissions, and then schedules transmissions to the child node accordingly.

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