IP Library › Granted Patent US 12689966

Granted Patent B2

US 12689966 · App. 18/632,984 · Granted Jul 21, 2026

Repeater creation for battery powered and low power devices

Inventors: Alan David Sanders (Atlanta, GA); Ryan A. Zaveruha (Trumbull, CT); Richard L. Westrick, Jr. (Social Circle, GA)

Assignee: ABL IP HOLDING LLC

H04W40/023 H04L45/247 H04L45/44 H05B47/19

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 12689966
App. No.: 18/632,984
Granted: Jul 21, 2026
Kind: B2

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Abstract

A method includes tracking one or more echoes of an original message sent from a battery-powered device in a wireless communication network. The battery-powered device includes a lighting control device or a phenomenon sensor. The method further includes adjusting a likelihood of designating a repeater for the battery-powered device based on the battery-powered device receiving an adjustment echo of the one or more echoes or one or more line-powered devices receiving the original message directly from the battery-powered device. The method further includes determining whether or not to designate a repeater for the battery-powered device based on the battery-powered device receiving a determination echo of the one or more echoes of the original message, or the one or more line-powered devices receiving the original message directly from the battery-powered device.

Claims (53)

1 . A method, comprising steps of:

(a) tracking one or more echoes of an original message sent from a battery-powered device in a wireless communication network, wherein the battery-powered device includes a lighting control device or a phenomenon sensor;

(b) adjusting a likelihood of designating a repeater for the battery-powered device based on the battery-powered device receiving an adjustment echo of the one or more echoes or one or more line-powered devices receiving the original message directly from the battery-powered device;

(c) determining whether or not to designate a repeater for the battery-powered device based on the battery-powered device receiving a determination echo of the one or more echoes of the original message, or the one or more line-powered devices receiving the original message directly from the battery-powered device; and

(d) decreasing the likelihood of a respective line-powered device being designated the repeater for the battery-powered device in response to the respective line-powered device receiving a retransmitted message from a different line-powered device originally sent from the battery-powered device.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

implementing steps (a) through (d) at a first line-powered device and a second line-powered device; and

breaking a tie, at a coordinator device, for determining between the first line-powered device and the second line-powered device which to designate the repeater for the battery-powered device in response to the first line-powered device determining to designate the first line-powered device as the repeater and the second line-powered device determining to designate the second line-powered device as the repeater.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the coordinator device is a group monitor.

4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

implementing steps (a) through (d) for each of a plurality of battery-powered devices.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein step (a) includes:

tracking a respective one or more echoes of messages sent from a respective battery-powered device for a plurality of battery-powered devices in the wireless communication network.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein:

step (b) includes adjusting a respective likelihood of designating the respective line-powered device of the one or more line-powered devices being designated the repeater for the battery-powered device in response to the respective line-powered device receiving at least one respective message directly from the battery-powered device which identifies a respective group monitor of the lighting control group to which the respective line-powered device and the battery-powered device both belong.

7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

storing a network address of the different line-powered device designated the repeater for the retransmitted message of the battery-powered device.

8 . A method, comprising steps of:

(d) tracking, at the battery-powered device, group monitor repeated messages originally sent from the battery-powered device and repeated in the wireless communication network by a group monitor or a different repeater not determined by the battery-powered device; and

(e) increasing the likelihood of a respective line-powered device being designated the repeater for the battery-powered device in response to receiving a retransmitted message from the group monitor or the different repeater.

9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein step (c) further comprises:

comparing the tracked one or more echoes of the original message and the tracked group monitor repeated messages against a repeater creation threshold to determine whether or not to designate the respective line-powered device as the repeater for the battery-powered device.

10 . A method, comprising steps of:

(a) tracking a respective echo success count of messages sent from each of a plurality of battery-powered devices in a wireless communication network, wherein the battery-powered devices include a light switch or an occupancy, audio, or daylight sensor;

(b) adjusting the respective echo success count to increase a likelihood of a line-powered device being designated a repeater for a respective battery-powered device of the plurality of battery-powered devices in response to the line-powered device receiving at least one message directly from the respective battery-powered device which identifies a group monitor identifier of a lighting control group to which the line-powered device and the respective battery-powered device both belong;

(c) adjusting the respective echo success count to decrease the likelihood of the line-powered device being designated the repeater for the respective battery-powered device in response to the line-powered device receiving a retransmitted message from another line-powered device originally sent from the respective battery-powered device; and

(d) comparing the respective echo success count against a repeater creation threshold to determine whether or not to designate the line-powered device as a repeater for the respective battery-powered device.

11 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

implementing steps (a) through (d) at a first line-powered device and a second-line powered device; and

breaking a tie, at a coordinator device, for a role of the repeater for the respective battery-powered device between the first line-powered device and the second line-powered device in response to the first line-powered device determining to designate the first line-powered device as the repeater and the second line-powered device determining to designate the second line-powered device as the repeater.

12 . The method of claim 10 , wherein:

step (b) includes: adjusting the respective echo success count to increase a respective likelihood of the line-powered device being designated the repeater for the respective battery-powered device in response to the line-powered device receiving at least one respective message directly from the respective battery-powered device which identifies a respective group monitor identifier of the lighting control group to which the line-powered device and the respective battery-powered device both belong.

13 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

storing a network address of the other line-powered device that is the repeater for the retransmitted message of the respective battery-powered device.

14 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

implementing steps (a) through (d) at the respective battery-powered device.

15 . The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

(e) adjusting a group monitor echo success count to increase the likelihood of the line-powered device being designated the repeater for the respective battery-powered device in response to receiving the retransmitted message from a group monitor or a different repeater not created by the respective battery-powered device.

16 . The method of claim 10 , wherein step (c) further comprises:

comparing both the respective echo success count and a group monitor echo success count against the repeater creation threshold to determine whether or not to designate the line-powered device as the repeater for the respective battery-powered device.

17 . A battery-powered device, comprising a lighting control device or a phenomenon sensor, wherein the battery-powered device is configured to:

track one or more echoes of an original message sent from the battery-powered device in a wireless communication network;

adjust a likelihood of designating a repeater for the battery-powered device based on the battery-powered device receiving an adjustment echo of the one or more echoes or one or more line-powered devices receiving the original message directly from the battery-powered device;

determine whether or not to designate a repeater for the battery-powered device based on the battery-powered device receiving a determination echo of the one or more echoes of the original message, or the one or more line-powered devices receiving the original message directly from the battery-powered device; and

decrease the likelihood of a respective line-powered device being designated the repeater for the battery-powered device in response to the respective line-powered device receiving a retransmitted message from a different line-powered device originally sent from the battery-powered device.

18 . A line-powered device of one or more line-powered devices, wherein the line-powered device is configured to:

track one or more echoes of an original message sent from a battery-powered device in a wireless communication network, wherein the battery-powered device includes a lighting control device or a phenomenon sensor;

adjust a likelihood of designating a repeater for the battery-powered device based on the battery-powered device receiving an adjustment echo of the one or more echoes or the one or more line-powered devices receiving the original message directly from the battery-powered device;