POWER-EFFICIENT PASSIVE DISCOVERY BY NETWORK DEVICES

    公开(公告)号:US20210067943A1

    公开(公告)日:2021-03-04

    申请号:US16555787

    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:US10716057B1

    公开(公告)日:2020-07-14

    申请号:US16555821

    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.

    Adaptive transmission management based on link latency

    公开(公告)号:US11825518B2

    公开(公告)日:2023-11-21

    申请号:US17527020

    申请日:2021-11-15

    Applicant: ITRON, INC.

    CPC classification number: H04W74/0825 H04L1/08 H04L43/0852 H04W84/18

    Abstract: Various embodiments disclose a method comprising receiving, at a first node, a listening schedule associated with a second node; determining, by the first node, a link latency associated with the second node based on the listening schedule; in response to the first node detecting a frame transmission failure for a frame being transmitted by the first node to the second node, determining, by the first node based on the link latency, a backoff time; and in response to the first node determining that the backoff time has elapsed, the first node retransmitting the frame from the first node to the second node. In some embodiments, the method also includes determining a frame lifetime value associated with the second node based on the link latency; and in response to determining that a time period corresponding to the frame lifetime value has elapsed, dropping the frame.

    Network protocol for battery powered devices within a wireless network

    公开(公告)号:US11711297B2

    公开(公告)日:2023-07-25

    申请号:US17245544

    申请日:2021-04-30

    Applicant: ITRON, INC.

    CPC classification number: H04L45/48 H04W40/02 H04W40/246 H04W48/16

    Abstract: A network system includes a main network implementing a conventional network protocol and a BPD subtree implementing a custom network protocol. The main network comprises a plurality of MPD nodes, the conventional network protocol being configured for MPD nodes. The BPD subtree comprises a plurality of BPD nodes, the custom network protocol being configured for BPD nodes. The custom network protocol defines smaller and simpler subtrees relative to the conventional network protocol. As a result, the custom network protocol defines less complex functions relative to the conventional network protocol, including functions for discovery, messaging, and loop management. A root node of the BPD subtree is connected with an MPD node of the main network and one or more descendant nodes of the BPD subtree. The root node implements the conventional network protocol and the custom network protocol.

    Network protocol for battery powered devices within a wireless network

    公开(公告)号:US11641615B2

    公开(公告)日:2023-05-02

    申请号:US17245420

    申请日:2021-04-30

    Applicant: ITRON, INC.

    Abstract: A network system includes a main network implementing a conventional network protocol and a BPD subtree implementing a custom network protocol. The main network comprises a plurality of MPD nodes, the conventional network protocol being configured for MPD nodes. The BPD subtree comprises a plurality of BPD nodes, the custom network protocol being configured for BPD nodes. The custom network protocol defines smaller and simpler subtrees relative to the conventional network protocol. As a result, the custom network protocol defines less complex functions relative to the conventional network protocol, including functions for discovery, messaging, and loop management. A root node of the BPD subtree is connected with an MPD node of the main network and one or more descendant nodes of the BPD subtree. The root node implements the conventional network protocol and the custom network protocol.

    Peer selection for data distribution in a mesh network

    公开(公告)号:US11575739B1

    公开(公告)日:2023-02-07

    申请号:US17527070

    申请日:2021-11-15

    Applicant: ITRON, INC.

    Abstract: Various embodiments disclose a method that includes sending, by a first node to a plurality of neighbor nodes, a query associated with a dataset, wherein the dataset includes multiple blocks; receiving, at the first node from a set of the plurality of neighbor nodes, one or more responses to the query; based on a first quality ranking of individual nodes in the set, selecting, by the first node, a second node from the set; and sending, by the first node, a first request to the second node for at least one block of the multiple blocks.

    Techniques for maintaining network connectivity in wireless mesh networks

    公开(公告)号:US10763992B2

    公开(公告)日:2020-09-01

    申请号:US16024577

    申请日:2018-06-29

    Applicant: ITRON, INC.

    Abstract: A wireless mesh network includes a plurality of nodes coupled together in parent-child relationships. A child node is configured to cascade listening rate changes upstream to a parent node to perform low-latency communications. The child node transmits an authentication message to the parent node indicating the listening rate change. The child node sets a timer and waits for an acknowledgement from the parent node. If the child node receives the acknowledgement, then the child node and the parent node change listening rate to permit low-latency communications. In addition, if the parent node loses network access, the parent node sets a timer and then waits to abandon the child node until after the timer elapses.

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