Granted Patent B2

US 8,249,050 · App. 11/910,828 · Granted Aug 21, 2012

Abstract

Claims (58)

1. A method for communication between nodes of a network interconnected by a transmission channel and each node identified by a node identification number comprising:

(a) at least one transmitter node emitting at least one message to at least one message recipient node, wherein the transmitter node originates the message and the message recipient node represents a final destination for the message:

(b) said message when originated and emitted by the transmitter node comprising a path description of a complete message path between said transmitter node and said message recipient node, said complete path being defined by the transmitter node that originates and emits the message, via a sequence of node identification numbers along said message path, said path description comprising a plurality of data fields containing data corresponding to each of a plurality of respective nodes in the message path;

(c) the nodes of the path regenerate the message by sending it to the next node defined by said path stored in the message;

(d) each node that receives a message from a node preceding it along said path sends a confirmation of reception of the message to said node preceding it;

(e) when a node does not receive a message of confirmation to its own message addressed to the subsequent node along the path, it makes at least one attempt at transmission of said message to the node which, in said path, is subsequent to the node from which the confirmation message has not been received:

(f) wherein each of said messages comprises an identification number of each subsequent node along said path to which the message must be transmitted, said identification number of the subsequent node identifying to which node of the path defined in the message said message must be transmitted:

(g) when a message recipient node receives said message: it generates a reply message addressed to the node that emitted the message and containing a description of the path from the node that receives the message to the node that has emitted the message received:

(h) when a node different from the message recipient node receives a message with subsequent node identification number different from its own identification number, said node remains inert;

(i) when a node receives a message in which the identification number of the subsequent node corresponds to its own identification number, it generates an echo of the message, replacing the subsequent node identification number with the identification number of the following node in the sequence of node identification numbers defining said complete message path in said message; and

wherein said messages comprise control messages of all the nodes along a path between a node emitting the message and a message recipient node, said control messages being modified by each node along the path, with the addition of of it least one datum relating to a condition of each node along said path, and wherein said datum added by each node to said control message is stored and delivered to the message recipient node.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

providing a plurality of collecting nodes and a plurality of control nodes: and

dividing said control nodes into a plurality of groups, each group comprising a series of control nodes, each group being assigned to a collecting node and the collecting node interrogating via said messages the control nodes to collect information from said control nodes.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the path of the message is defined by a collecting node, and wherein a control node which must send a reply to a message received from a collecting node uses a path defined in one of the messages received from said collecting node.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein said collecting nodes perform test cycles on the conditions of the connection line with the control nodes assigned to it to verify the depth to which a message can penetrate along a path that joins a plurality of said control nodes.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the path of a message addressed to a recipient node is determined by the collecting node at least partly on the basis of the conditions of the portion of line that joins said collecting node to said recipient node.

6. A method for communication between nodes of a network interconnected by a transmission channel and each node identified by a node identification number comprising;

(a) at least one transmitter node emitting at least one message to at least one message recipient node, wherein the transmitter node originates the message and the message recipient node represents a final destination for the message;

(b) said message when originated and emitted by the transmitter node comprising a path description of a complete message path between said transmitter node and said message recipient node, said complete being defined by the transmitter node that originates and emits the message, via a sequence of node identification numbers along said message path, said path description comprising a plurality of data fields containing data corresponding to each of a plurality of respective nodes in the message path;

(c) the nodes of the path regenerate the message by sending it to the next node defined by said path stored in the message;

(d) each node that receives a message from a node preceding it along said path sends a confirmation of reception of the message to said node preceding it;

(e) when a node does not receive a message of confirmation to its own message addressed to the subsequent node along the path, it makes at least one attempt at transmission of said message to the node which, in said path, is subsequent to the node from which the confirmation message has not been received;

(f) wherein each of said messages comprises an identification number of each subsequent node along said path to which the message must be transmitted, said identification number of the subsequent node identifying to which node of the path defined in the message said message must be transmitted;

(g) when a message recipient node receives said message, it generates a reply message addressed to the node that emitted the message and containing a description of the path from the node that receives the message to the node that has emitted the message received;

(h) when a node different from the message recipient node receives a message with subsequent node identification number different from its own identification number, said node remains inert;

(i) when a node receives a message in which the identification number of the subsequent node corresponds to its own identification number, it generates an echo of the message, replacing the subsequent node identification number with the identification number of the following node in the sequence of node identification numbers defining said complete message path in said message;

providing a plurality of collecting nodes and a plurality of control nodes;

dividing said control nodes into a plurality of groups, each group comprising a series of control nodes, each group being assigned to a collecting node and the collecting node interrogating via said messages the control nodes to collect information from said control nodes;

wherein each control node of a group assigned is also assigned to an additional collecting node;

in the absence of faults on the collecting nodes, the control nodes of each group communicate with the respective main collecting node to which they are assigned; and

in the event of a fault on said main collecting node, the control nodes assigned to it are re-assigned each to the respective additional collecting node.

7. A method for communication between nodes of a network interconnected by a transmission channel and each node identified by a node identification number comprising:

(a) at least one transmitter node emitting at least one message to at least one message recipient node, wherein the transmitter node originates the message and the message recipient node represents a final destination for the message;

(b) said message when originated and emitted by the transmitter node comprising a path description of a complete message path between said transmitter node and said message recipient node, said complete path being defined by the transmitter node that originates and emits the message, via a sequence of node identification numbers along said message path, said path description comprising a plurality of data fields containing data corresponding to each of a plurality of respective nodes in the message path;

(c) the nodes of the path regenerate the message by sending it to the next node defined by said path stored in the message;

(d) each node that receives a message from a node preceding it along said path sends a confirmation of reception of the message to said node preceding it;

(e) when a node does not receive a message of confirmation to its own message addressed to the subsequent node along the path, it makes at least one attempt at transmission of said message to the node which, in said path, is subsequent to the node from which the confirmation message has not been received;

(f) wherein each of said messages comprises an identification number of each subsequent node along said path to which the message must be transmitted, said identification number of the subsequent node identifying to which node of the path defined in the message said message must be transmitted;

(g) when a message recipient node receives said message, it generates a reply message addressed to the node that emitted the message and containing a description of the path from the node that receives the message to the node that has emitted the message received;

(h) when a node different from the message recipient node receives a message with subsequent node identification number different from its own identification number, said node remains inert;

(i) when a node receives a message in which the identification number of the subsequent node corresponds to its own identification number, it generates an echo of the message, replacing the subsequent node identification number with the identification number of the following node in the sequence of node identification numbers defining said complete message path in said message;

providing a plurality of collecting nodes and a plurality of control nodes;

dividing said control nodes into a plurality of groups, each group comprising a series of control nodes, each group being assigned to a collecting node and the collecting node interrogating via said messages the control nodes to collect information from said control nodes; and

representing said network via a series of coverage equations, each of which defines a sequence of control nodes connected to one another and to a collecting node, and which represent the topological description of said network.

8. A method for communication between nodes of a network interconnected by a transmission channel and each node identified by a node identification number comprising:

(a) at least one transmitter node emitting at least one message to at least one message recipient node, wherein the transmitter node originates the message and the message recipient node represents a final destination for the message;

(b) said message when originated and emitted by the transmitter node comprising a path description of a complete message path between said transmitter node and said message recipient node, said complete path being defined by the transmitter node that originates and emits the message, via a sequence of node identification numbers along said message path, said path, description comprising a plurality of data fields containing data corresponding to each of a plurality of respective nodes in the message path;

(c) the nodes of the path regenerate the message by sending it to the next node defined by said path stored in the message;

(d) each node that receives a message from a node preceding it along said path sends a confirmation of reception of the message to said node preceding it;

(e) when a node does not receive a message of confirmation to its own message addressed to the subsequent node along the path, it makes at least one attempt at transmission of said message to the node which, in said path, is subsequent to the node from which the confirmation message has not been received;

(f) wherein each of said messages comprises an identification number of each subsequent node along said path to which the message must be transmitted, said identification number of the subsequent node identifying to which node of the path defined in the message said message must he transmitted;

(g) when a message recipient node receives said message it generates a reply message addressed to the node that emitted the message and containing a description of the path from the node that receives the message to the node that has emitted the message received;

(h) when a node different from the message recipient node receives a message with subsequent node identification number different from its own identification number, said node remains inert;

(i) when a node receives a message in which the identification number of the subsequent node corresponds to its own identification number, it generates an echo of the message, replacing the subsequent node identification number with the identification number of the following node in the sequence of node identification numbers defining said complete message path in said message;

providing a plurality of collecting nodes and a plurality of control nodes;

dividing said control nodes into a plurality of groups, each group comprising a series of control nodes, each group being assigned to a collecting node and the collecting node interrogating via said messages the control nodes to collect information from said control nodes; and

wherein when a collecting node detects a fault it generates an alarm message which contains as identification number of the recipient the identification number of a collecting node to which said control node is assigned which emits the alarm message and as description of the path, the description of the path contained in at least one message received from said node.

Assignments (11)