Patent ID: 8396012
Filing Date: 2013-03-12
Classification: H04L,H04W

Abstract:
1. A method of selecting paths in a wireless process control and/or automation network, the wireless process control and/or automation network including a tier of one or more wireless end devices for transmitting data and/or receiving data, and either wherein a source-destination pair includes links between the one or more wireless end devices, and the one or more wireless intermediate devices and/or the one or more wireless gateway devices, the method of selecting paths comprising: a. determining possible paths between a selected source-destination pair; b. identifying one or more reliable paths, or one or more reliable groups of paths, by comparing the reliability of each of the possible paths or groups of possible paths with a specified minimum reliability requirement; c. identifying a potentially acceptable path by comparison of a calculated end-to-end delay for the one of the possible paths with a maximum allowable end-to-end delay, wherein a path is deemed potentially acceptable if the calculated end-to-end delay is equal to or less than the maximum allowable end-to-end delay; d. identifying an acceptable link or set of links by comparison of a calculated tier delay for a selected link or set of links with a maximum allowable tier delay for a selected tier, wherein a link or set of links is deemed acceptable if the calculated tier delay is equal to or less than the maximum allowable tier delay for that one of the tiers; and e. assigning the potentially acceptable path for the selected source-destination pair to a routing table if all of the links or sets of links within the one of the possible paths are identified as acceptable in step (d) and if the potentially acceptable path is identified as reliable in step (b).