Meshnetworks, Inc.

Motorola Solutions, Inc.

Motorola Corporation

Guenael T Strutt

Keith J Goldberg

Avinash Joshi

Charles R Barker

Shyamal Ramachandran

Sebnem Z Ozer

Surong Zeng

Peter B Deoge

Stephen P Emeott

Peter Stanforth

John M Belcea

Anthony J Braskich

Dennis W Davis

Jeffrey C Schmidt

William Vann Hasty, Jr

Donald L Joslyn

Sebnem Zorlu Ozer

Philip Hill

Phillip David Neumiller

Allen M Roberson

Pavan K Rudravaram

Peter B Doege

Wilfrido R Gomez

Philip J Hill

Allen M Robertson

Donald J Joslyn

Charles R Barker Jr

A method of adaptive beaconing includes operating a node within an ad hoc wireless communication network to calculate a probability P for an interval of time I; transmit a beacon when a uniformly distributed random number is less than the probability P; and wait for the interval of time 'I' and repeat the calculate, transmit, and waiting operations when the uniformly distributed random number is greater than the probability P.

Method for adaptive beaconing

A method for security authentication within a wireless network is disclosed. A method within an adhoc mesh network for two devices to quickly determine roles (i.e. which is the authenticator and which is the supplicant) while establishing a security association is provided for. The invention further provides for the inclusion of cached key information in the role negotiation process and the application of role negotiation to a shortened three-way handshake.

Method for establishing secure associations within a communication network

Techniques are provided for determining a position of a node. For example, the node receives first position data from a first reference node and second position data from a second reference node. The second position data includes second position measurement information and a precision indicator which indicates accuracy of the second position measurement information. The node generates a timestamp which indicates when the second position data was received by node, and storing the second position data and associated timestamp. Upon receiving updated first position data at the node from the first reference node, the node determines whether updated second position data has been received from the second reference node, and if not, generates aged second position data based on the stored second position data and the associated timestamp. The node can then determine its position based on the aged second position data and the updated first position data.

Determining position of a node based on aged position data

A method for proximity detection in a wireless communication network. A node attempts to determine the proximity of the closest neighboring node by transmitting a ranging request. Other nodes respond, and the first node to receive and respond to the request will have the shortest response time and thus will be the closest node. Exact ranges can be determined by applying Time-Of-Arrival (TOA) techniques to node response times. To further avoid collisions, one or more frames of the response messages can be same, making the multiple responses appear as multi-path. The group of responders can be narrowed and individual groups probed in a search pattern until the single nearest node is known or range of the nearest node is known. The ranging node may then use ordinary unicast mechanisms to probe this node, or begin scanning the groups again, or interleave the two mechanisms as desired.

Method for proximity detection in a wireless communication network

A system and method for performing topology control in a wireless network (). The system and method operate to enable a node (-) to determine the link cost of a link between itself and another node (-), based on the number of nodes () that would be affected by message transmission by the node () and the other node (-), and the number of nodes () that would be affected by message reception by the node (-) and the other node (-). The number of nodes () affected by the message transmission and message reception at the node (-) and the other node (-) is affected by the transmit power of the control messages sent by the node (-) and the other node (-). The node (-) further bases routing decisions on the calculated link costs.

System and method for performing topology control in a wireless network

A method and apparatus for link adaptation is provided. A node stores a set of transmit parameters and corresponding selection probabilities for each of the transmit parameters. The node stochastically selects a particular transmit parameter based on the selection probabilities, and then transmits a packet according to the particular selected transmit parameter. From received transmission feedback information, the node derives performance statistics, and uses the performance statistics to specify an estimated performance function for the particular transmit parameter. The node updates a selection probability computation function (SPCF), and uses the SPCF to generate updated selection probabilities corresponding to each transmit parameter in the set of available transmit parameters.

Method and apparatus for link adaptation by stochastically selecting a transmit parameter

A system and method for determining the mobility of a node () in a wireless communication network (). The system and method determine the distance between the node () and at least one stationary neighboring node () at at least two or more time points, using at least two moving average filters, to arrive at two distance values. The system and method then determine the relative velocity based on the at least two distance values, and thus determine whether the node () is mobile.

System and method for determining the mobility of nodes in a wireless communication network

A method for calculating service redundancy of a wireless network is provided. The method comprises determining one or more of a plurality of routes through which a node can communicate to reach a destination. A routing metric is calculated for each of the plurality of routes. Using the calculated routing metrics a route having a best routing metric is identified as a best route to the destination. Service redundancy for each node within the wireless network is calculated using a sum of weighted ratios of the best routing metric to at least one alternate routing metric.

Method for calculating service redundancy of a wireless network

A system and method for data transmission using a multichannel medium access control (MAC) protocol to send small messages on the reservation channel directly without any RTS/CTS handshake or channel switching delays. The message is assigned a special type so that it can be distinguished from the RTS/CTS message. The message can also include information about congestion, activity, device type, mobility level, and so forth.

System and method to maximize channel utilization in a multi-channel wireless communication network

A system and method that creates an abstraction of the physical layer of a wireless communication network (), in particular, a wireless ad-hoc peer-to-peer communication network (), and that normalizes the feedback from the physical layer to enable multiple types of nodes () in the wireless network to operate using a common wireless routing protocol. This routing protocol uses a link quality metric to determine the best route regardless of how it actually chooses the route or disseminates such link quality information. The generalized routing metric can be derived for any node (), regardless of its relative performance or its media access control (MAC) technology. The system and method also create a transaction summary that can be used for link adaptation and link quality estimation to determine, for example, future data rates, link quality/routing metrics, and transmit powers.

Software architecture and hardware abstraction layer for multi-radio routing and method for providing the same

A method and apparatus for calculating a location of a device is provided. A likelihood of the device being located at a particular location point or a particular location floor is determined using a likelihood calculation at each of a plurality of locations. The location point or location floor is then identified as that location having an associated highest likelihood calculation. The likelihood calculation includes calculating a distance from the device to each of a plurality of reference routers including one or more virtual coplanar reference routers, wherein each of the one or more virtual coplanar reference routers comprise a projection of a non-coplanar reference router onto the floor.

Method and apparatus for calculating a device location

A system and method for calculating a routing metric that can select the route providing the best throughput in a multihopping network (), based on one or more parameters including completion rates, data rates, MAC overhead and congestion. The system and method are capable of selecting a route in a multihopping network () having a high throughput, comprising calculating a routing metric at one or more nodes (), wherein the routing metric enables the one or more nodes () to select the route in the network (). The routing metric can include network information such as the raw data rate, the completion rate, and the media access control overhead and congestion.

System and method for providing a congestion-aware routing metric for selecting a route between nodes in a multihopping communication network

The present invention provides a system and method for evaluating the performance of a potential route before it is actually established. In a wireless network, when a trigger is received by a source node that suggests the existence of a better route, the source node sends a scouting packet along the suggested route. The scouting packet collects statistics related to the suggested route, without establishing the route while the scouting packet traverses the route. The metric for the suggested route, which is derived from the statistics collected by the scouting packet, is compared to the metric for the current route. If the metric for the suggested route is preferable to that of the current route, the suggested route is established as a new route.

System and method to scout for routes in a wireless network

A system and method for management of communication links between nodes in a wireless communication network (). The system and method perform the operations of estimating an expected rate of change in the characteristics pertaining to communication over a communication link in the network (), and assigning a value associated with the link based on the expected rate of change. The system and method also adjust the rate of change of the value associated with the link based on the condition of the link.

System and method for managing communication links between nodes in a wireless communication network

A communications network which is capable of effectively and efficiently handling fading between mobile wireless user terminals of a packet-switched network with minimal overhead and packet loss, and a method for using the same. The communications network employs an origination mobile terminal and surrounding macroscopic mobile terminals and/or surrounding fixed infrastructure. Communication is established between the origination mobile terminal and surrounding macroscopic mobile terminals and/or surrounding fixed infrastructure. The communication is established via modified request to send (RTS) and clear to send (CTS) messages, wherein the modified messages provide for an additional two sets of k unicast addresses where k equals the maximum number of routes available per route entry in the origination mobile terminal's route table.

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Sanford, FL, United States of America

Guenael T Strutt