Data flow management in wireless networks
Implementations disclosed describe techniques and systems to facilitate efficient operations of wireless networks organized in a topology of communicating nodes. Techniques include cascade synchronization of various nodes of the network by generating and maintaining a common time using times associated with ordered communications between nodes. The common time maintained by the network allows performance of synchronous action for precise industrial, medical, and testing applications. The described techniques and systems further include management of communication windows between different nodes in a way that facilitates fast and efficient propagation of data collected by the network from multiple source nodes to one or more destination nodes. The techniques further include efficient assignment and flexible management of communication frequencies (channels) to various nodes of the network to reduce interference and noise by assigning different communication frequencies to the nodes that utilize concurrent communications windows.
1. A method of data communication in a wireless Bluetooth network of nodes associated with a connection interval and having three or more hierarchical layers of nodes comprising:
a plurality of source nodes organized into a first hierarchical layer of the three or more hierarchical layers of nodes,
a plurality of intermediate nodes organized into a second hierarchical layer of the three or more hierarchical layers of nodes, and
one or more destination nodes organized into a third hierarchical layer of the three or more hierarchical layers of nodes;
wherein each intermediate node of the plurality of intermediate nodes wirelessly communicates with:
a downstream node, the downstream node being at least one of:
a destination node of the one or more destination nodes, or
another intermediate node of the plurality of intermediate nodes, and
a plurality of upstream nodes, the plurality of upstream nodes including at least one of:
a subset of the plurality of source nodes, or
a subset of the plurality of intermediate nodes;
receiving, by a first intermediate node of the plurality of intermediate nodes, from each one of the plurality of upstream nodes, a corresponding upstream message of a plurality of upstream messages, each upstream message received within a respective reception window of a plurality of reception windows; and
transmitting, by the first intermediate node to the downstream node, a downstream message generated using each of the plurality of upstream messages, wherein the downstream message is transmitted within a transmission window that is subsequent to each of the plurality of reception windows, and wherein the transmission window and each of the plurality of reception windows occur within a single connection interval.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of reception windows are non-overlapping and have a fixed offset with respect to each other.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transmission window is spaced, from a latest reception window of the plurality of reception windows, by an aggregation window, and wherein during the aggregation window the first intermediate node is to process at least some of the plurality of upstream messages to generate the downstream message.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transmission window is a part of a downstream connection event, the method further comprising:
receiving, by the first intermediate node from the downstream node, during the downstream connection event, instructions for the first intermediate node or one or more of the plurality of upstream nodes.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the upstream messages comprises a first data generated by one or more source nodes of the plurality of source nodes.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the first data generated by the one or more source nodes comprises results of measurements of a state of a battery system.
7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the downstream message comprises:
the first data generated by the one or more source nodes; and
a second data generated by the first intermediate node.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transmission window is a part of a downstream connection event, wherein each of the plurality of reception windows is part of a corresponding upstream connection event of a plurality of upstream connection events, and wherein the transmission window is wider than a respective transmission window of each of the plurality of upstream connection events.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transmission window is a part of a downstream connection event further comprising a downstream reception window, and wherein each reception window of the plurality of reception windows is associated with a respective upstream connection event further comprising a reception window that is wider than the downstream reception window.
10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:
opening the downstream connection event at a time that is advanced compared with an expected communication time, wherein the expected communication time comprises a sum of i) a time associated with a previous connection event of the downstream node and ii) a downstream node connection interval.
11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
opening each of the plurality of upstream connection events at a respective one of a plurality of fixed time delays determined relative to a time associated with the previous connection event of the downstream node.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein receiving, by the first intermediate node, the plurality of upstream messages or transmitting, by the first intermediate node, the downstream message is performed, using a first radio frequency, concurrently with corresponding operations of receiving or transmitting performed, using a second radio frequency, by a second intermediate node of the plurality of intermediate nodes.
13. An apparatus, comprising:
a radio configured to support wireless connectivity with a wireless Bluetooth network, the wireless Bluetooth network having three or more hierarchical layers of nodes comprising:
a plurality of source nodes organized into a first hierarchical layer of the three or more hierarchical layers of nodes;
a plurality of intermediate nodes organized into a second hierarchical layer of the three or more hierarchical layers of nodes; and
one or more destination nodes organized into a third hierarchical layer of the three or more hierarchical layers of nodes;
wherein each intermediate node of the plurality of intermediate nodes wirelessly communicates with:
a downstream node, the downstream node being at least one of:
a destination node of the one or more destination nodes, or
another intermediate node of the plurality of intermediate nodes, and
a plurality of upstream nodes, the plurality of upstream nodes including at least one of:
a subset of the plurality of source nodes, or
a subset of the plurality of intermediate nodes;
a memory device; and
a processing device communicatively coupled to the memory device, the processing device configured to cause the apparatus to:
receive, using the radio, from each of a plurality of upstream nodes a corresponding upstream message of a plurality of upstream messages, each upstream message received within a respective reception window of a plurality of receptions windows; and
transmit, using the radio, to a downstream node a downstream message generated using each of the plurality of upstream messages, wherein the downstream message is transmitted within a transmission window that is subsequent to the plurality of reception windows, and wherein the transmission window and each of the plurality of reception windows occur within a single connection interval.
14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein each of the upstream messages comprises first data generated by one or more source nodes of the plurality of source nodes.
15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the downstream message comprises:
a plurality of data segments, each of the plurality of data segments generated by a respective one of the plurality of upstream nodes; and
an additional data segment generated by the apparatus.
16. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the processing device is further configured to cause the apparatus to:
open each of the plurality of reception windows at a respective one of a plurality of reception time offsets determined relative to a time associated with a previous reception window of the downstream node.
17. A system, comprising:
a wireless Bluetooth network of nodes associated with a connection interval and having three or more hierarchical layers of nodes comprising:
a plurality of source nodes organized into a first hierarchical layer of the three or more hierarchical layers of nodes,
a plurality of intermediate nodes organized into a second hierarchical layer of the three or more hierarchical layers of nodes, and
one or more destination nodes organized into a third hierarchical layer of the three or more hierarchical layers of nodes;
wherein each intermediate node of the plurality of intermediate nodes wirelessly communicates with:
a downstream node, the downstream node being at least one of:
a destination node of the one or more destination nodes, or
another intermediate node of the plurality of intermediate nodes, and
a plurality of upstream nodes of the wireless network, the plurality of upstream nodes including at least one of:
a subset of the plurality of source nodes, or
a subset of the plurality of intermediate nodes
wirelessly receive, by an intermediate node of the plurality of intermediate nodes, from each one of the plurality of upstream nodes, a corresponding upstream message of a plurality of upstream messages, each upstream message received within a respective reception window of a plurality of reception windows; and
wirelessly transmit, by the intermediate node to the downstream node, a downstream message generated using each of the plurality of upstream messages, wherein the downstream message is transmitted within a transmission window that is subsequent to each of the plurality of reception windows, and wherein the transmission window and each of the plurality of reception windows occur within a single connection interval.
18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the downstream message comprises:
a plurality of data segments, each of the plurality of data segments generated by a respective one of the plurality of upstream nodes; and
an additional data segment generated by the intermediate node.
19. The system of claim 17 , wherein the transmission window is a part of a connection event, and wherein the intermediate node is further configured to:
open the connection event at a time that is advanced compared with an expected communication time, wherein the expected communication time comprises a sum of (i) a time associated with a previous connection event of the downstream node and (ii) a connection interval of the downstream node.