Power optimized behavior in mesh networks

Mesh communications aspects are disclosed in which multiple mobile devices located within a communication area perform direct communication to establish a mesh network. Each device node included in the mesh network provides power profile information to the other nodes on the network. As mesh messages are generated for transmission by the nodes onto the mesh network, an adaptive routing mechanism determines the transmission route based on the power profile of the proposed target node. The selective and adaptive routing determination allows for power to be efficiently conserved within the mesh network.

BACKGROUND

Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to wireless communication systems, and more particularly, to power optimized behavior in mesh networks.

With the increased functionality of modern wireless communication devices, much time is devoted to implementing power conserving mechanisms to increase the life of the battery or portable energy source for such devices. During emergency situations, such as hurricanes, earthquakes, terrorist attacks, and the like, cellular infrastructure is typically overwhelmed with too many users attempting access to the network at the same time. The overflow of access attempts not only causes failed user connections, but may also prevent emergency response personnel or public safety agencies from having critical access to communications, both for initiating communications and receiving communications and information from the emergency victims.

Various solutions have been attempted to relieve or accommodate the problems that arise in such situations. However, it would be beneficial to implement efficient and practical improvements to such emergency situation communication solutions.

SUMMARY

Various aspects of the present disclosure are directed to wireless communication systems in which multiple mobile devices located within an selected communication area perform direct communication to establish a mesh network. Each device node that is included in the mesh network provides power profile information to the other nodes on the network. As mesh messages are generated for transmission by the nodes onto the mesh network, an adaptive routing mechanism determines the transmission route based on the power profile of the proposed target node. By selectively and adaptively determining the transmission routing, each of the nodes in the mesh network may intelligently conserve power usage to maximize the health and duration of the network.

In maintaining the mesh network, if a node with a stronger power profile enters the communication area, the other nodes in the network may adaptively and dynamically change transmission routing decisions to consider the new node. Conversely, if the power profile of any particular node falls, the other nodes in the mesh will adjust transmission routing decisions accordingly. With changing power profiles, when mobile devices encounter two or more potential mesh network nodes with the same or similar power profiles, the device may use random selection procedures for transmission route selections in order to maintain fairness in the distribution. The adaptive nature of the mesh allows the member nodes to adjust its transmission route selections based on the changing power profiles of the mesh nodes in addition to new nodes or existing nodes that may no longer be available.

Additional aspects of the present disclosure are directed to a method of wireless communication that includes establishing a mesh network with one or more wireless communication entities in a communication zone of a wireless communication network, generating, at a mobile device, at least one mesh message, determining, by the mobile device, a transmission route for a target node of the one or more wireless communication entities, wherein the transmission route is determined based on a power profile of the target node, and transmitting the mesh message from the mobile device to the target node using the determined transmission route.

Further aspects of the present disclosure are directed to a computer program product that includes a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The non-transitory computer-readable medium includes code to establish a mesh network with one or more wireless communication entities in a communication zone of a wireless communication network, code to generate, at a mobile device, at least one mesh message, code to determine, by the mobile device, a transmission route for a target node of the one or more wireless communication entities, wherein the transmission route is determined based on a power profile of the target node, and code to transmit the mesh message from the mobile device to the target node using the determined transmission route.

Still further aspects of the present disclosure are directed to an apparatus for wireless communication that includes means for establishing a mesh network with one or more wireless communication entities in a communication zone of a wireless communication network, means for generating, at a mobile device, at least one mesh message, means for determining, by the mobile device, a transmission route for a target node of the one or more wireless communication entities, wherein the transmission route is determined based on a power profile of the target node, and means for transmitting the mesh message from the mobile device to the target node using the determined transmission route.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In one practical application of various aspects of the present disclosure, communication during emergency situations may be addressed. Various ideas have been attempted to minimize or reduce communication issues that occur in emergency situations, such as by prioritizing communication traffic and even bringing in temporary, mobile access point resources, such as through emergency-related rapid response mobile communications apparatuses, such as cell-on-light-trucks (COLTs) and cell-on-wheels (COWs). On the user side, solutions have been suggested that would form ad hoc emergency mesh networks in an emergency zone to ensure communication between individuals located within the emergency zone.

FIG. 1Ais a block diagram illustrating an example communications system configured according to one aspect of the present disclosure.FIG. 1illustrates an emergency zone100that identifies a location of a recent emergency at a time, t1. The emergency may be an earthquake, a terrorist attack, a tornado, a hurricane, or the like. Emergency zone100represents the area in which the emergency has affected communications. Base station101provides an access point for wireless wide area network (WWAN) communication for various compatible mobile devices within its coverage area. WWAN communications include technologies such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Long Term Evolution (LTE), and the like. As a result of the emergency, base station101is rendered inoperable. Base station101may be inoperable for a number of reasons, including physical destruction or damage, power failure, or simply extremely overloaded capacity. As a result of the inoperability of base station101, none of the mobile devices within its coverage area may establish WWAN communications.

Mobile devices102a-ewere located with their users within emergency zone100during the emergency. Each of mobile devices102a-eare not only equipped with WWAN radios and components for WWAN communications, but are also equipped with wireless local area network (WLAN) radios and components to facilitate WLAN communication, such as to connect wirelessly to the Internet, networks, other mobile devices, and the like. WLAN communications include BLUETOOTH®, BLUETOOTH® Low Energy (LE), WIFI™ (standardized through IEEE 802.11), WIFI DIRECT™, ZIGBEE™, and the like. When an emergency situation is determined by the mobile devices102a-e, each device begins an emergency mode of operation that attempts to establish an emergency mesh network107with other WLAN-capable devices within range. Mobile device102abegins to transmit signals to establish an ad hoc communication link with other mobile devices within its WLAN radio range, such as mobile devices102b,102c, and102d. Each other such mobile device102b-ealso transmits signals establishing ad hoc communication links with the other proximate mobile devices. The various connections between mobile devices102a-eare used to form an emergency mesh network107. Mobile devices102a-emay also attempt communication with WLAN access points, such as WIFI™ access point103, and access point104. These WLAN access points may be used to route emergency messages or emergency beacons to other devices in emergency mesh network107.

As emergency mesh network107is established, mobile devices102a-emay transmit various types of emergency messages or beacons, depending on the configuration of the emergency communication system. In one aspect, emergency beacons may be transmitted by each mobile device in emergency mesh network107. The emergency beacon may include vital information, such as a unique user identifier (ID), timestamp, location, condition of the user (obtained through various existing sensors already built into many smart mobile devices), and the like. User-defined messages may also be transmitted as emergency messages via mobile devices located in the emergency zone100. The various emergency messages and beacons may also be prioritized, such that when communication is restricted for some reason, higher-priority messages will be given preference.

Because of the dynamic nature of an emergency situation, adaptive routing protocols, such as routing information protocol (RIP), open shortest path first (OSPF), and the like, may be implemented in the ad hoc emergency mesh networks of the various aspects. Unlike routing schemes for typical networks, an emergency mesh network offers unique circumstances that should be taken into consideration when determining the routing scheme. In an emergency situation, some users may be trapped or injured. These trapped or injured users may be isolated from emergency personnel, who may not be able to reach the trapped or injured users for hours or even days. Thus, preserving the information in the emergency beacons or messages of these isolated users is an important consideration. Power consumption is one of the important parameters that will determine how long such information can be preserved. Accordingly, various aspects of the present disclosure provide for adaptive routing schemes that consider the power profile of mobile device nodes in the emergency mesh network when making routing decisions.

The power profile of a given mobile device may be calculated or obtained through consideration of multiple variables and factors present in the environment around the mobile device. For example, the power profile may be based on remaining battery life, the average power consumed in routing a single message, and the like. Additional factors may also be included in the calculation, such as available radio interfaces for transmission, the bandwidth and power characteristics of those available radio interfaces, proximity to the next message hop or leg, the size of the data to be transmitted, and the like. The power profile for a mobile device configured according to the various aspects of the present disclosure may be determined based on any one or combination of these factors.

Referring back toFIG. 1A, in the ad hoc emergency mesh network107of mobile devices102a-e, the routing scheme according to the various aspects of the present disclosure would provide edge weights that were based on the power profile of the particular mobile device. For example, in considering routing a message from mobile device102bto mobile device102a, the weight associated with the edge (mobile device102a, mobile device102b) will be some function of the power profile, P, of mobile device102a. As noted above, the power profile may include the remaining battery power, the average power consumed in routing a single message, and the like. Mobile device102bmay also route a message to mobile device102e. In determining which mobile device to route the message to, mobile device102bmay compare the edge weight of edge (mobile device102a, mobile device102b) with the edge weight of edge (mobile device102e, mobile device102b). If the power profile of mobile device102eis low compared to that of mobile device102a, mobile device102bmay determine to route the message to mobile device102aover routing to mobile device102e. In selected aspects of the present disclosure, if mobile devices102eand102ahave an equivalent or similar power profile, mobile device102emay use a random selection process in order to ensure fair distribution, as is known in the art.

It should be noted that for situations in which the mobile devices102eand102ahave an equivalent or similar power profile, any number of different methods or means may be used to select the route for the message. A random selection process, as noted above, is merely one example. Other examples include a round robin scheme, a weighted selection based on the power profiles of other devices surrounding mobile devices102eand102a, type of device, or the like. The various aspects of the present disclosure are not limited to a particular method for selecting between routes having equivalent or similar power profiles.

Selecting the route having the higher edge weight may conserve the power of mobile device102e. Conserving the power would allow mobile device102eto operate longer and, thus, provide an opportunity for the emergency messages and beacons from mobile device102eto be broadcast longer. In some aspects, the adaptive routing scheme may select the mobile device having the lower power profile. For example, consider that mobile device102a, has the highest power profile in emergency mesh network107. If all other mobile devices, such as mobile devices102b,102c,102d, WIFI™ access point104, and access point103, transmit emergency messages and beacons to mobile device102afor forwarding or attempted forwarding to devices or access points outside of emergency zone100, the power of mobile device102awould be drained quickly and, perhaps, too quickly. As such, the adaptive routing scheme bases the routing decision, at least in part, on the power profile of the members of emergency mesh network107. However, the decision is not simply to choose the route with the highest power profile.

In addition to the mobile devices that are isolated within emergency zone100, additional mobile devices may enter emergency zone100after the emergency event. These transient mobile devices, such as mobile device102f, may temporarily join emergency mesh network107as they enter into emergency zone100and begin receiving emergency messages and beacons from other mobile devices of emergency mesh network107. Prior to the arrival of mobile device102f, emergency messages and beacons are generated and communicated by each of mobile devices102a-ewithin emergency mesh network107. Depending on the power profile of each mobile device, the number of transmissions from each mobile device may vary. For example, with a high power profile, a mobile device, such as mobile device102a, may transmit its emergency beacon at a given periodic rate, while a mobile device with a low power profile, such as mobile device102c, may only transmit its emergency beacon at a rate that is a fraction of the rate at which mobile device102atransmits its emergency beacon. Additionally, should the power profile of mobile device102afall, it may adjust its transmission rate to a lower rate to accommodate the reduced power characteristic. The emergency messages or beacons from each of mobile devices102a-eare stored and forwarded by each other of the mobile devices in emergency mesh network107. Thus, each member node of emergency mesh network107would have record of the emergency message or beacon of every other mobile device in emergency mesh network107.

It should be noted that in various aspects of the present disclosure, as the power profile of any one or more mobile devices begins to get low, the adaptive routing scheme operating within each of the mobile devices may also begin to vary the “relaying” behavior of the mobile device as a function of the power profile. For example, relaying behavior includes storing received emergency beacons or messages, forwarding the received emergency beacons or messages, advertising to the other nodes in the mesh network availability as an intermediate node, and the like. As a result, the mobile device may act in a self-preservation mode by discarding any low priority emergency beacons if its power profile reaches a certain lower threshold.

It should further be noted that mobile devices may transmit different priority messages at different rates. For example, a regular mesh message may be transmitted at a lower rate than a high-priority message, such as an emergency message. Additionally, in very congested situations, lower priority messages may even be dropped entirely.

As mobile device102fenters emergency zone100, it begins receiving the emergency messages and beacons from mobile device102a, which is the only mobile device currently within emergency mesh network107in range of mobile device102f. The signals received at mobile device102fprompt mobile device102fto join emergency mesh network107by transmitting its own emergency beacon or message into emergency mesh network107through mobile device102a. In addition to being part of emergency mesh network107, mobile device102fis within WLAN range of mobile device102j, which is outside of emergency zone100. Mobile device102jis, itself, within WLAN range of mobile device102k. Mobile device102kis located in coverage area108of base station105. Base station105is fully operable. Mobile device102f, after receiving emergency messages and beacons from emergency mesh network107, transmits the messages and beacons to mobile device102jover WLAN, and mobile device102jtransmits those emergency messages and beacons to mobile device102k. Once mobile device102kreceives these messages, it may deliver the messages to the emergency service the messages are directed to via WWAN communications through base station105.

In additional aspects of the present disclosure, emergency mesh network107may be partitioned into multiple domains of devices. The formation of any individual domain may be based on a number of different criteria, such as device type, collective health of devices, power profile, and the like. The health of a domain may be a metric based on a number of parameters. For example, the health metric may be determined based on the average remaining power of the devices in the domain, the average power consumed by devices in a domain to transmit a single message, the intra-domain connectivity, the inter-domain connectivity, and the different radio interfaces that are present in the domain (e.g., WIFI™, BLUETOOTH™, and the like). Intra-domain connectivity is measured based on the k-connectivity of the set of nodes in the domain, for some sufficiently large value k. This intra-domain connectivity may be an indication of mesh stability. Moreover, if a particular domain has many transmission routes to an outside accessible network, such as the Internet or other WAN, the health of the domain may be seen as higher than that of an isolated domain.

Inter-domain connectivity is determined by the amount of communication occurring between different domains. Inter-domain routing policies are used in conducting the inter-domain communication. The adaptive routing scheme configured for the aspect that partitions emergency mesh network107into multiple domains may take into account the inter-domain routing policies, such as the restriction against routing High Priority emergency messages or beacons through domains with a health less than a predetermined threshold.

Referring again toFIG. 1A, two of the mobile devices in emergency zone100, mobile devices102band102c, each have a low health metric based on low remaining power for each device and a higher average power consumption used to transmit a single message. Thus, when forming emergency mesh network107, a partition is created that includes mobile devices102band102cin domain109. The remaining devices, mobile devices102a, d, e, andf, and WIFI™ access point103, and access point104, make up another domain within emergency mesh network107. Similar to the aspect described without partitioning emergency mesh network107into multiple domains, the adaptive routing scheme for inter-domain routing are weighted as a function of the health of the receiving domain. For example, when considering the routing of a message from the first domain including mobile station102a, to domain109, mobile station102awill consider the overall health of domain109.

FIG. 1Bis a block diagram illustrating the example communications system at a time, t2, after the emergency event. The user with mobile device102fmoved out of emergency zone100and, therefore, has left the domain of mobile devices102a, d, e, and WIFI™ access point103, and access point104. Two new users with mobile devices102gandh, respectively, now enter emergency zone100. As each of mobile devices102gandhbegin to receive the emergency messages and beacons from emergency mesh network107, each are evaluated and added to a respective domain. With a higher remaining battery power and efficient transmitter, mobile device102gis added to the domain of mobile devices102a, d, e, and WIFI™ access point103, and access point104. Mobile device102hhas a much lower remaining battery power and is, therefore, added to domain109with mobile devices102bandc.

Both of the new mobile devices, mobile devices102gandh, are within WLAN range of mobile device102j, located outside of emergency zone100and accessible to the WWAN communication of base station105, through mobile device102klocated within coverage area108of base station105. Therefore, emergency messages or beacons received by either of mobile devices102gandhmay be forwarded to the ultimate addressee emergency service.

In an aspect of the present disclosure, the rate at which each node within emergency mesh network107transmits an emergency beacon may vary based on its power profile, such as its remaining battery power. For example, as time passes to t2, mobile device102abegins to lose battery power. The level is still sufficient to maintain mobile device102awithin its domain. However, considerations begin to be made in transmitting its emergency beacon with the falling battery power. At time, t2, mobile device102adrops its emergency beacon transmission rate from 20 times per minute to 10 times per minute, as its remaining battery power falls to less than 60% of maximum. The determination of transmission rates may be made according to the following formula:

RA=f⁡(P)={20,P≥60⁢%10,P<60⁢%5,P<30⁢%(1)
Where RAis the emergency beacon transmission rate, P is the remaining battery power.

It should be noted that the specific example of beacon transmission rates above are merely one example implementation. In the various aspects of the present disclosure, the actual transmission rate may be configurable for each discrete power state. Accordingly, various aspects of the present disclosure may implement any number of different configuration transmission rates based on the power state of the mobile device.

While mobile device102amay reduce its transmission rate for emergency beacons, access point104may maintain the same rate of forwarding the various emergency messages and beacons from emergency mesh network107. Access point104is attached to a non-battery power source and, therefore, will not suffer from the same power conservation considerations as mobile devices102a-e. Accordingly, access point104may be a preferred relay node for traffic in emergency mesh network107.

FIG. 1Cis a block diagram illustrating the example communications system at a time, t3, after the emergency event. At time, t3, an emergency-related rapid response mobile communications apparatus106, such as a COLT or a COW, has arrived to the location near the emergency zone100. Mobile communications apparatus106will provide additional capacity and, perhaps, make up for the capacity lost due to the inoperability of base station101. Emergency mesh network107has been able to maintain the emergency messages and beacons from mobile devices102a-e, from the time of the emergency event to time, t3. During this time mobile device102chas run out of battery power. Therefore, communications from mobile device102chave ceased. However, because emergency mesh network107provides for store and forward of the transmitted messages and beacons, the messages and beacons transmitted from mobile device102care still circulating within the remaining nodes of emergency mesh network107. Thus, if the emergency messages are transmitted via WLAN through mobile devices102g, j, andk, or via WWAN through connection of mobile devices102a, b, g, j, ork, the information associated with mobile device102cmay still be relayed to the appropriate emergency services.

Various aspects of the present disclosure further allow for the nodes within emergency mesh network107to selectively choose which radio interface to use in its transmissions in order to further conserve power. For example, at time, t3, mobile device102emay transmit its messages to WIFI™ access point103via WIFI™, to mobile devices102banddvia BLUETOOTH™ or WIFI™, and potentially to mobile communications apparatus106via WWLAN. When determining routing decisions, mobile device102emay consider which radio technology interface to use when transmitting its messages. In transmitting emergency messages or beacons to mobile device102b, which is in the lower-power domain109, mobile device102ecould transmit via either WIFI™ or BLUETOOTH™. However, because BLUETOOTH™ generally uses less power than WIFI™, mobile device102ewould select to transmit messages to mobile device102busing its BLUETOOTH™ radio. Similarly, if mobile device102edesired to conserve its own power as well, it may also select to transmit emergency messages and beacons using its BLUETOOTH™ radios. If the remaining power supply for mobile device102eis reaching a lower state, it may select only to make BLUETOOTH™ transmissions, thus, ceasing any new messages to WIFI™ access point103.

Various additional or alternative aspects of the present disclosure would allow user input to affect the transmission route selection process. With reference toFIG. 1C, at time, t3, the emergency-related rapid response mobile communications apparatus106has arrived and other emergency-related responders are also arriving to rescue the victims in emergency zone100. As victims are near to being reached by emergency responders, the victim/user may provide input to his or her mobile device that directs more emergency messages to be transmitted or routed through the mobile device. For example, if the user of mobile device102aknows that emergency responders are near, he or she may provide input to mobile device102athat identifies and transmits routing override messages to the other mobile devices102b-e, WIFI™ access point103, and access point104to route as many emergency messages as possible to mobile device102a. Thus, as the emergency responders reach the victim/user of mobile device102a, information on the other victims may be readily available to the emergency responders. The routing override messages temporarily override any of the routing mechanisms based on power profile and, instead, simply route as directly as possible to the transmitting mobile device, mobile device102a. After a certain period of time, which may be tracked by an override clock or other such mechanism, the other mobile devices102b-ewill return to the power profile-based routing scheme to conserve power.

FIG. 2shows a block diagram of a design of a base station200and a mobile device102, which may be one of the base stations and one of the mobile devices inFIGS. 1A-1C. The base station200may be equipped with antennas234athrough234t, and the mobile device102may be equipped with antennas252athrough252r.

At the base station200, a transmit processor220may receive data from a data source212and control information from a controller/processor240. The transmit processor220may process (e.g., encode and symbol map) the data and control information to obtain data symbols and control symbols, respectively. The transmit processor220may also generate reference symbols, e.g., for the PSS, SSS, and cell-specific reference signal. A transmit (TX) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) processor230may perform spatial processing (e.g., precoding) on the data symbols, the control symbols, and/or the reference symbols, if applicable, and may provide output symbol streams to the modulators (MODs)232athrough232t. Each modulator232may process a respective output symbol stream (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain an output sample stream. Each modulator232may further process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and upconvert) the output sample stream to obtain a downlink signal. Downlink signals from modulators232athrough232tmay be transmitted via the antennas234athrough234t, respectively.

At the mobile device102, the antennas252athrough252rmay receive the downlink signals from the base station200and may provide received signals to the demodulators (DEMODs)254athrough254r, respectively. Each demodulator254may condition (e.g., filter, amplify, downconvert, and digitize) a respective received signal to obtain input samples. Each demodulator254may further process the input samples (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain received symbols. A MIMO detector256may obtain received symbols from all the demodulators254athrough254r, perform MIMO detection on the received symbols if applicable, and provide detected symbols. A receive processor258may process (e.g., demodulate, deinterleave, and decode) the detected symbols, provide decoded data for the mobile device102to a data sink260, and provide decoded control information to a controller/processor280.

On the uplink, at the mobile device102, a transmit processor264may receive and process data from a data source262and control information from the controller/processor280. The transmit processor264may also generate reference symbols for a reference signal. The symbols from the transmit processor264may be precoded by a TX MIMO processor266if applicable, further processed by the demodulators254athrough254r, and transmitted to the base station200. At the base station200, the uplink signals from the mobile device102may be received by the antennas234, processed by the modulators232, detected by a MIMO detector236if applicable, and further processed by a receive processor238to obtain decoded data and control information sent by the mobile device102. The processor238may provide the decoded data to a data sink239and the decoded control information to the controller/processor240.

The controllers/processors240and280may direct the operation at the base station200and the mobile device102, respectively. The controller/processor240and/or other processors and modules at the base station200may perform or direct the execution of various processes for the techniques described herein. The controllers/processor280and/or other processors and modules at the mobile device102may also perform or direct the execution of the functional blocks illustrated inFIG. 3, and/or other processes for the techniques described herein. The memories242and282may store data and program codes for the base station200and the mobile device102, respectively. A scheduler244may schedule mobile devices for data transmission on the downlink and/or uplink.

Turning now toFIG. 3, a functional block diagram is illustrated showing example blocks executed to implement one aspect of the present disclosure. While emergency communication situations provide one example implementation of various aspects of the present disclosure, additional aspects of the present disclosure may be applied in non-emergency situations, in which power conservation goals suggest formation of such mesh networks, such as forming a mesh network in specific communication zone, such as an office building or shopping center for tenants or visitors with mobile devices. Additional applications may exist for network offloading techniques or in proximity-based applications, such as games, social media applications, recommendation applications, and the like. In block300, a mesh network is established with one or more wireless communication entities in a communication zone. Wireless communication entities may include mobile devices, access points, relays, and the like. At least one mesh message is generated in block301. The mobile device determines a transmission route, in block302, for a target node of the wireless communication entities in the mesh network, where the transmission route is determined based on a power profile of the target node. In block303, the mesh message is transmitted from the mobile device to the target node using the determined transmission route.

FIG. 4is a block diagram illustrating a mobile device102configured according to one aspect of the present disclosure. Mobile device102includes controller/processor280that controls the various components and executes any software or firmware that is used to operate the functionality and features of mobile device102. When a facility for forming a mesh network is detected, controller/processor280accesses memory282to run the communication networking scheme400. Under control of controller/processor280, the communication networking scheme transmits peer-to-peer connection messages to one or more neighboring devices using any of WWAN radio401, WIFI™ radio402, and BLUETOOTH™ (BT) radio403. Connection messages are also received over these radios and used to establish a mesh network with the available neighboring devices. The combination of these components and acts provides means for establishing a mesh network with one or more wireless communication entities in a communication zone.

While in a mesh communication mode, mesh messages and beacons are generated by mesh message generator406, under control of controller/processor280, using various data and information stored in memory282or derivable under control of controller/processor280. The combination of these components and acts provides means for generating at least one mesh message.

Controller/processor280accesses memory282to execute adaptive routing scheme404. The adaptive routing scheme404determines the route that mobile device102will transmit. As a part of the communication signals received from the other nodes in the mesh network, the power profile of the node is included. The power profile can be any number of different measurements or metrics that reflect the available power or power efficiency of the node. For example, the power profile may be the remaining battery power, the power to transmit a single message, etc., or any combination of such parameters. The adaptive routing scheme404uses the power profile for various target nodes considered for transmission and determines the edge route based on this power profile information. The combination of these components and acts provides means for determining a transmission route for a target node of the one or more wireless communication entities, wherein the transmission route is determined based on a power profile of the target node.

Once the transmission route has been selected, the controller/processor280transmits the mesh message over the selected one of WWAN radio401, WIFI™ radio402, and BT radio403. The combination of these components and acts provides means for transmitting the at least one mesh message from the mobile device to the target node using the determined transmission route.

Mobile device102may also evaluate its own power profile for signals to be transmitted to the other nodes in the mesh network and also to determine other transmission characteristics, such as mesh beacon transmission frequency, radio selection, store and forward behavior, and the like. Under control of the controller/processor280, power management code405is executed which analyzes the power remaining in battery407and also the power required for transmission over any of WWAN radio401, WIFI™ radio402, and BT radio403.