Mesh network system and techniques

A method for communicating within a network comprising end nodes and a coordinator node, wherein the end nodes and the coordinator node are configured to broadcast data packets during broadcast cycles through a flooding mechanism, the method comprising, for each broadcast cycle:

• a) during an outbound broadcast phase, transmitting, by the coordinator node a coordinator-originating data packet for polling at least one of the end nodes, the data frame of the coordinator-originating data packet comprising address data corresponding to the at least one of the end nodes to be polled;
• and
• b) during an inbound broadcast phase, receiving, by the coordinator node, a data packet returned from one of the end nodes, wherein a data frame of the data packet comprises end node data, and wherein each of the outbound and inbound broadcast phases comprise successive time slots, and
• wherein the broadcast cycle further comprises a redux phase, wherein the redux phase is assigned a shorter time slot than a time slot of the outbound broadcast phase, and wherein during the redux phase an end node receives a redux phase data packet or broadcasts a redux phase data packet to a subset of the end nodes within the network.

A node communicating in a network, the node comprising:

• a processor;
• a network interface for communicating within the network;
• and
• memory comprising executable instructions, which, when executed by the processor, cause the node to, during a single broadcast cycle of the network:
• broadcast, during an outbound broadcast phase of the broadcast cycle, a data packet comprising a polling request for another node in the network, wherein within the single broadcast cycle the data packet comprising the polling request is transmitted to each node of the network;
• receive, during an inbound broadcast phase of the broadcast cycle, a data packet originating from the other node in the network that is responsive to the polling request, wherein within the single broadcast cycle the data packet that is responsive to the polling request is transmitted to each node of the network;
• and
• broadcast, during a redux phase of the broadcast cycle, a redux phase data packet, wherein the redux phase is shorter than the outbound broadcast phase, and wherein within the single broadcast cycle the redux phase data packet is transmitted to a subset of the nodes of the network.

A system comprising:

• a coordinator node communicating in a network,
• a first end node communicating in the network, and
• a second end node communicating in the network, wherein the coordinator node comprises:
• a processor;
• a network interface for communicating within the network;
• and
• memory comprising executable instructions, which, when executed by the processor of the coordinator node, cause the coordinator node to:
• broadcast, during an outbound broadcast phase of a broadcast cycle, a data packet comprising a polling request for the first end node;
• and
• receive, during an inbound broadcast phase of the broadcast cycle, a data packet originating from the first end node that is responsive to the polling request, and
• wherein the first end node comprises:
• a processor;
• a network interface for communicating within the network;
• and
• memory comprising executable instructions, which, when executed by the processor of the first end node, cause the first end node to:
• receive, during the outbound broadcast phase, the data packet comprising the polling request;
• broadcast, during the inbound broadcast phase, the data packet that is responsive to the polling request;
• and
• receive, during a redux phase of the broadcast cycle, a redux phase data packet from the second end node, wherein the redux phase is shorter than the outbound broadcast phase of the broadcast cycle, and
• wherein the second end node comprises
• a processor;
• a network interface for communicating within the network;
• and
• memory comprising executable instructions, which, when executed by the processor of the second end node, cause the second end node to:
• broadcast, during the redux phase of the broadcast cycle, the redux phase data packet.