Multi-media multi-modulation and multi-data rate mesh network

摘要

A node having a multiple protocol receiver may listen to multiple links in parallel and determine a quality of links having multiple communication technologies between the node and multiple neighbor nodes. The multiple communication technologies may include radio frequency (RF) communication technologies and one or more power line communication (PLC) communication technologies. The node determines a link quality metric for each link associated with an optimum communication technology and data rate, and maintains availability information of neighbor nodes. The node may then route communications to neighbor nodes using the link quality metric and the availability information.

主权项

1. A method comprising:
determining a strength of received signals on communication links from neighbor nodes in a mesh network, the received signals including multiple different communication technologies, wherein the multiple different communication technologies include multiple different radio frequency (RF) communication technologies having different RF modulation schemes; selecting a subset of the communication links based in part on the strength of the received signals; exercising the subset of the communication links by sending data and receiving response data via each of the subset of the communication links; analyzing the response data; evaluating a link quality as a function of an available data rate of each of the subset of the communication links based in part on the analyzing; determining a figure of merit (FOM) based at least in part on a combination of the link quality and the available data rate for each link in the subset of the communication links; employing a routing protocol to select a communication link from the subset of the communication links for routing a data packet to a neighbor node based in part on the FOM associated with the selected communication link and an identified communications technology; and transmitting the data packet to the neighbor node using the identified communication technology and the available data rate of the selected communication link.