Traffic routing in small wireless data networks

Abstract

A method of transmitting a message from a source node to a destination node in a small, wireless network having up to N nodes in which each message has appended thereto concise network configuration data which eliminates the need for routing protocols without adding significant overhead to the network communications. The method includes the steps of creating for each node a route table containing a count of the number of transmission hops necessary to reach each destination node and a node number of a neighboring node forming a next link in a chain of hops to each destination node, where the node number identifies a unique bit in an N bit address mask. Routing data is appended to the message data which includes an N bit destination word identifying the destination node or nodes, an N bit route word including a logical OR of the address mask of the relay node or nodes, and a route update message identifying what the current node knows about the network configuration. The number of N bit words in the route update message indicates a maximum number of transmission hops away from the current node that the current node could know about the network configuration. Upon receipt of such message data and its routing data, all receiving nodes update their route tables from the route update message. Then, if the receiving node is a destination node, the message data is processed. Also, if the receiving node is a relay node, then the receiving node replaces the route word and route update message with data from its updated route table and retransmits the message data with the destination word, the replaced route word and the replaced route update message as its routing data.