Route optimization for on-demand routing protocols for mesh networks

A system comprising:

• a wireless mesh network having at least a first node and a second node;
• wherein each of the nodes comprises a respective wireless interface enabling communication with at least two other nodes of the wireless mesh network;
• wherein each of the nodes comprises a respective processing element enabled to execute wireless mesh networking functions;
• wherein the wireless mesh networking functions comprise
• a path determination function to determine a path between two nodes of the wireless mesh network,
• a path comparison function to compare a first path determined by the path determination function with a second path determined by the path determination function,
• a node divergence function to determine when a node is a first node of divergence between the first path and the second path, the first node of divergence being a one of the nodes having at least first, second, and third links to respective other nodes of the wireless mesh network, and the first path and the second path commonly comprise the first link and respectively comprise the second link and the third link, and
• a path dissemination function to control distribution of path information to nodes of the wireless mesh network;
• wherein the path comparison function comprises comparing hop counts between nodes;
• wherein the path dissemination function conditionally distributes a new path to a plurality of recipients when the path comparison function indicates a better path is available;
• and
• the conditional distribution is based on the node divergence function determining that a node is the first node of divergence between the new path and a previous path.

A method comprising:

• in a mesh network of nodes, in any one or more of the nodes, determining a first route from a source node of the nodes to a destination node of the nodes;
• in any one or more of the nodes, determining a second route from the source node to the destination node;
• in any one or more of the nodes, comparing the first route to the second route according to a comparison criteria;
• in a particular node of the nodes, determining if the particular node is a first node of divergence between the first route and the second route, the first node of divergence being a node of the mesh network having at least first, second, and third links to respective other nodes of the mesh network, and the first route and the second route commonly comprise the first link and respectively comprise the second link and the third link;
• further in the particular node, if the comparing ascertains that the second route is an improved route with respect to the first route, then in response to the ascertainment and in accordance with at least one condition, conditionally communicating the improved route to a plurality of recipients;
• and
• wherein the at least one condition comprises the determining that the particular node is the first node of divergence between the first route and the second route.

A device enabled to operate in a wireless mesh network of nodes, the device enabled to perform as one of the nodes, the device comprising:

• a wireless interface enabled to communicate with other of the nodes;
• and
• a processing element enabled to execute wireless mesh networking functions, the wireless mesh networking functions comprising:
• a path determination function to compute paths between any pair of the nodes,
• a path evaluation function to ascertain which of first and second paths of the paths is a current best path,
• a node of divergence function to determine when the device is a first node of divergence between the current best path and a previous best path, the first node of divergence being a one of the nodes having at least first, second, and third links to respective others of the nodes, and the current best path and the previous best path commonly comprise the first link and respectively comprise the second link and the third link, and
• a path dissemination function to conditionally distribute the current best path at least in response to a concurrent determination that:
• a) the current best path has changed from the previous best path, and b) the node of divergence function has determined that the device is the first node of divergence between the current best path and the previous best path.