Google Inc.

Googel Inc.

Jonathan Wing-Yan Hui

Martin Albert Turon

James H Woodyatt

Grant Michael Erickson

Jay Dare Logue

Christopher Anthony Boross

Matt Daniel Smith

Yakun Xu

Abtin Keshavarzian

Martin A Turon

Techniques and devices for determining a preferred physical layer for communication by a node in a Thread network are described. The node transmits a first IPv6 over Low power Wireless Personal Area Networks, 6LoWPAN, frame to a neighbor node using a first physical layer and transmits the first 6LoWPAN frame to the neighbor node using a second physical layer. The node determines a first preference value for the neighbor node using the first physical layer and determines a second preference value for the neighbor node using the second physical layer. The node compares the first preference value and the second preference value to determine the preferred physical layer for communication and transmits a second 6LoWPAN frame to the neighbor node using the preferred physical layer.

Method and device for Thread over Internet Protocol

This document describes techniques and devices to synchronize communications between devices in a wireless mesh network. Based on the requirements of an end device that sleeps (e.g., is out of communication with the wireless mesh network) for periods of time, the end device indicates to a parent wireless mesh network device that the end device wants to configure operations in a synchronized-reception mode, which causes the parent device to reply with an indication of the clock accuracy of the parent device. The end device uses the clock accuracy of the parent device to determine parameters for synchronized-reception and transmits the parameters to the parent device. The end device activates its receiver based on the parameters to receive data from the parent device.

Synchronized reception in mesh networks

In embodiments of efficient network stack for wireless application protocols, a network stack receives an application-layer message in a first wireless application protocol that includes a source address and a destination address, maps the source address to an Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) source address, and maps the destination address to an IPv6 source address. The source node transmits the application-layer message to a destination node in a mesh network using a network stack that implements a second wireless application protocol using the IPv6 source address, and maps the destination address to an IPv6 source address.

Efficient network stack for wireless application protocols

This document describes techniques and devices to reduce energy consumption and network traffic related to polling for buffered data packets (e.g., messages) between devices in a wireless mesh network. Based on the requirements of an end device that sleeps to conserve power, a parent device receives and buffers data packets addressed to the end device until the end device is awake. The end device periodically wakes-up to transmit application data, such as a sensor reading or a status message, to the parent device. By including an indication of pending data at the parent device in an acknowledgement the transmission of by end device, additional data request messages and acknowledgements can be reduced or eliminated to improve the battery life of the end device and reduce network traffic on the mesh network.

Enhanced frame pending

In embodiments of distributed coordination of mesh network configuration updates, pending commissioning datasets are managed and distributed to coordinate configuration changes of parameters that control participation in, and secure communication over, a mesh network. Pending network commissioning datasets are managed across fragmentation of the mesh network into multiple partitions and subsequent merging of the fragments to ensure that the most recent updates to pending commissioning datasets are propagated to mesh network devices and that all mesh network devices will receive pending commissioning datasets before the time that the pending commissioning dataset becomes the active commissioning dataset for the mesh network.

Distributed coordination of mesh network configuration updates

In embodiments of mesh network addressing, a router registers an address for an end device and assigns a child identifier to the end device. The router encodes an endpoint identifier of the end device, and a router identifier of the router into an Endpoint Identifier, which the router incorporates into a Routing Locator (RLOC) for the end device. The router responds to address queries and receives data packets on behalf of the end device. The router stores the data packets for the end device until the router can forward the data packets to the end device.

Mesh network duplicate address detection

In aspects of automatic rerouting in Thread networks, a router device in a mesh network receives a packet to forward to a destination node, and the packet includes a Routing Locator (RLOC) for the destination node. The router device can determine that the packet cannot be forwarded using the RLOC. The router device can then initiate an address query over the mesh network, where the address query includes an Endpoint Identifier (EID) of the destination node. The router device can receive an EID-to-RLOC mapping for the EID from a node device in the mesh network, and forward the packet to the destination node using the received EID-to-RLOC mapping.

Automatic rerouting in thread networks

In embodiments of mesh network commissioning, a commissioning device of a mesh network can determine steering data for the mesh network, where the steering data is an indication of a device identifier associated with a device that is allowed to join the mesh network. The commissioning device can then propagate the steering data from the commissioning device for the mesh network to one or more routers in the mesh network, and the steering data indicates that a commissioner is active on the mesh network. The commissioning device propagating the steering data enables the one or more routers to transmit the steering data in a beacon message, and the steering data is effective to enable the device associated with the device identifier to identify that the device is allowed to join the mesh network.

Mesh network commissioning

In embodiments of distributed channel sampling across a mesh network, a commissioning device propagates a scanning request, which includes a number of scanning parameters, to nodes in a mesh network, causing the nodes to perform energy detection (ED) scans using the scanning parameters. The commissioning device receives energy measurements in scanning reports from the nodes and analyzes the measurements to determine an operating channel for the mesh network. The commissioning device updates the operating channel in network configuration information that is sent to a leader device in the mesh network, for propagation to the mesh network.

Distributed channel sampling across a mesh network

Mesh network addressing

In embodiments of mesh network commissioning, a commissioning device of a mesh network can determine steering data for the mesh network, where the steering data includes an indication of a device identifier associated with a device that is allowed to join the mesh network, and the indication is represented as a set of values in a Bloom filter that represent the device identifier. The commissioning device can then propagate the steering data from the commissioning device for the mesh network to one or more routers in the mesh network. Propagating the steering data enables the routers to transmit the steering data in a beacon message, where the steering data enables the device associated with the device identifier to compare the set of values in the Bloom filter to a second set of values determined at the device to identify that the device is allowed to join the mesh network.

In embodiments of mesh network addressing, a router device receives provisioning domains that include an address prefix and an associated preference value for the address prefix. The router determines a route, based on one of the address prefixes, to use to forward a data packet to a destination. The router uses the preference values to prioritize the routing of the data packet. In other aspects, the preference values can be set based on one or more factors, and the router can use the preference values in addition to mesh network routing costs to determine a route for a data packet.

Growing community of inventors

Belmont, CA, United States of America

Jonathan Wing-Yan Hui