Message frame disambiguation in a flood fill mesh radio network

A mobile communications device configured as a network node for broadcasting message frames in a mesh network, the mobile communications device comprising:

• a processor;
• a memory;
• an internal clock;
• a digital counter comprising a number of bits, and
• a radio device for communicating with a plurality of network nodes over a wireless radio network, wherein the network nodes only communicate with correspondent network nodes using broadcast network messages, wherein network nodes are configured for rebroadcasting received network messages to correspondent network nodes on the wireless radio network, and wherein the network nodes are configured for synchronized communications over the wireless radio network based on broadcasting synchronization frames in accordance with a synchronization interval, the mobile communications device adapted for performing operations comprising:
• associating counter values provided by the digital counter with message frames broadcast from the network node, wherein the digital counter generates a sequence of numbers using the counter values, and wherein numbers in the sequence of numbers provided by the digital counter are incremented for each message frame broadcast by the network node onto the wireless radio network and wrap back to zero after a highest number in the sequence given by the counter values has been reached;
• dividing a number domain of the sequence of numbers generated by the digital counter into (i) a low sub-domain delineated from zero up to a low counter value and (ii) a high sub-domain delineated from a high counter value greater than the low counter value up to the highest number in the sequence of numbers given by the counter values;
• constraining a maximum number of message frames broadcast from the network node that can be circulating in the wireless radio network to the low counter value;
• and
• determining whether a newly received message frame is older or newer than a copy of the message frame that was previously received by the network node by comparing the counter value of the newly received message frame with the counter value of the previously received copy of the message frame.

A non-transitory computer readable medium configured for storing programmed computer code executable by a processor for performing operations implementing a network node in a mesh network, the network node comprising a mobile communications device that includes a processor, a memory, an internal clock, a digital counter, and a radio device for communicating with a plurality of network nodes over a wireless radio network, wherein network nodes only communicate with correspondent network nodes via broadcast network messages, wherein network nodes are configured for rebroadcasting received network messages to correspondent network nodes on the wireless radio network, and wherein the network nodes are configured for synchronized communications over the wireless radio network based on broadcasting synchronization frames in accordance with a synchronization interval, the operations comprising:

• associating counter values provided by the digital counter with message frames broadcast from the network node, wherein the digital counter generates a sequence of numbers using the counter values, and wherein numbers in the sequence of numbers provided by the digital counter are incremented for each message frame broadcast by the network node onto the wireless radio network and wrap back to zero after a highest number in the sequence given by the counter values has been reached;
• dividing a number domain of the sequence of numbers generated by the digital counter into (i) a low sub-domain delineated from zero up to a low counter value and (ii) a high sub-domain delineated from a high counter value greater than the low counter value up to the highest number in the sequence of numbers given by the counter values;
• constraining a maximum number of message frames broadcast from the network node that can be circulating in the wireless radio network to the low counter value;
• and
• determining whether a newly received message frame is older or newer than a copy of the message frame that was previously received by the network node by comparing the counter value of the newly received message frame with the counter value of the previously received copy of the message frame.