US 8,284,775 B2Granted

Six-address scheme for multiple hop forwarding in wireless mesh networks

AssigneeSTMicroelectronics S.r.l.

InventorsLiwen Chu, George A. Vlantis

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Abstract

A six field address scheme identifies both the originating point and the endpoint of a data frame enabling multiple hop forwarding through a plurality of intermediate mesh points in a wireless mesh network. Data frames originating or ending at a point outside of the wireless mesh network access the wireless network at a mesh access point using a legacy address scheme. The legacy address schemes are converted to a six address scheme using a proxy address table at the access point. Each mesh access point includes not only a routing table but a proxy address table as well as enabling the mesh access point, and/or mesh portal points, to convert address schemes having less than six address fields to the six field format. Subsequent to the conversion, mesh points within the wireless mesh network need only the routing table to facilitate the forwarding of the data frame.

Claims14

Dependent claims

In a wireless mesh network having a plurality of mesh points, a system for delivering a data frame between at least one beginning point and at least one endpoint, said system comprising a six field address scheme for facilitating forwarding of said data frame to a mesh point within the wireless mesh network via a path through a plurality of intermediate mesh points wherein a fifth field and a sixth field of said six field address scheme preserves information of said data frame regarding said at least one end point and said at least one beginning point, respectively and a traffic identifier (TID) field within a mesh flag, wherein each of the plurality of intermediate mesh points includes a routing table and the routing table includes each mesh point within the wireless mesh network, but none of the mesh points interior to the wireless mesh network contains a proxy table, and wherein the at least one endpoint includes a plurality of mesh points communicating with each other via a root in a Hybrid Wireless Mesh Protocol proactive routing mode having a first path and a second path, the first path being from a source mesh point to the root mesh point and the second path being from the root mesh point to a destination mesh point such that there is no need for the frame to pass through the root;

and wherein the root contains the proxy table used to convert a four address scheme to a six address scheme.

A method of forwarding a data frame in a wireless mesh network having a plurality of mesh points using a six field address scheme to an endpoint via a path and a traffic identifier (TID) within a mesh flag field wherein a sixth field of the six field address scheme represents a beginning point of the data flame, said method comprising:

at a root mesh point, determining whether a destination address in a fifth field of the six field address scheme representing the endpoint of the data frame is a mesh point within the wireless mesh network;
responsive to the destination address being within the wireless mesh network, comparing within the six field address scheme a first address representing a source address field and a second address representing a beginning mesh point address field, and responsive to the first address matching the second address, modifying the six field address scheme to a four field address scheme to preserve source information of said data frame;
and responsive to the first address being distinct from the second address, reformatting the six field address scheme to preserve source information of said data frame, wherein each of the plurality of mesh points within the wireless mesh network includes a routing table, and the routing table includes each mesh point within the wireless mesh network such that there is no need for the frame to pass through the root, and wherein none of the mesh points interior to the wireless mesh network contains a proxy table;
and wherein the root contains the proxy table used to convert a four address scheme to a six address scheme.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/207,148Filed 9 Sep 2008 · continuation in part
Priority: 29 Jun 2007
Published: US 2009/0003291 A11 Jan 2009
Granted: 9 Oct 2012
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

H04W 40/02
Communication routing or communication path finding: communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
H04L 45/66
Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks: layer 2 routing, e.g. in Ethernet based MAN's
H04W 84/18
Network topologies: self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
H04W
Wireless communication networks

Family

Application11/771,937Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 29 Jun 2007
Application60/972,145Us provisional application · filed 13 Sep 2007
US 2009/0003298 A1Pre-grant publication · published 1 Jan 2009
US 2009/0003291 A1Published application
US 8,483,192 B2Related patent
US 8,284,775 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.