Node Discovery in Physically Segmented Logical Token Network

Abstract

Token authorized node discovery between a plurality of store-and-forward nodes in a downhole networking environment and respective applications for data processing and communication are described herein.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be described by way of exemplary embodiment, but not limitations, illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like references denote similar elements, and in which:

FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate block diagrams of a data communication arrangement in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention;

FIGS. 2A-2D illustrate block diagrams of network nodes of FIGS. 1A and 1B, in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention;

FIGS. 3A-3C illustrate state diagrams of network nodes of FIGS. 1A and 1B, in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of two network nodes in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates a downhole networking environment suitable for practicing various embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates a network node suitable for practicing various embodiments of the present invention as presented in FIGS. 1A and 1B and in FIG. 5 in further detail, in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart view of a portion of the operations of a first end node as presented in FIGS. 1A and 1B in further detail, in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 8 illustrates a flowchart view of a portion of the operations of an intermediate node as presented in FIGS. 1A and 1B in further detail, in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart view of a portion of the operations of a second end node as presented in FIGS. 1A and 1B in further detail, in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 10 illustrates a flowchart view of a portion of the operations of a network node in accordance with various embodiments;

FIGS. 11A and 11B illustrate network node discovery in accordance with various embodiments; and

FIG. 12 illustrates another networking environment suitable for practicing various embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method comprising: generating by a first node operating as a bottom end node in a downhole network a discovery token, and transmitting the discovery token to determine if there is a second node in a successor direction operating as an orphan node;upon receiving the discovery token by the second node operating as an orphan node, selectively activating the second node to operate as a bottom end node to supplant the first node as the bottom end node, and transmitting by the second node a response token back to the first node; andreceiving the response token at the first node, and in response, configuring the first node to operate as an intermediate node.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting of the discovery token comprises selectively transmitting the discovery token in the successor direction to an immediately coupled second node operating as an orphan node upon expiration of a discovery timer and subsequent receipt of a transmission token.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting of the discovery token comprises selectively transmitting the discovery token to an immediately coupled successor node operating as an orphan node upon receiving a transmission token.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the transmitting of the response token comprises automatically transmitting the response token back to the first node to identify the second node as the bottom end node to the first node.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting of the discovery token comprises selectively transmitting the discovery token, upon receiving a transmission token, in an opposite direction to an immediately coupled predecessor node in the downhole network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a successor node operating as an orphan node is inactive for a defined time period prior to receiving the discovery token and transmitting the response token.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first node and the second node are temporary logical end nodes in the downhole network and the selective activating of the second node further comprises automatically transmitting the discovery token iteratively to at least one next node, each next node operating as an orphan node, until an actual bottom end node of the downhole network is activated to operate as the bottom end node of the downhole network.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating of a discovery token comprises receiving a first transmission token at the first node from an immediately coupled predecessor node, and in response, generating a second transmission token and transmitting the second transmission token to the immediately coupled predecessor node.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the transmitting of a discovery token includes selectively transmitting the discovery token to an immediately coupled successor node configured to operate as an orphan node.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the discovery token is the second transmission token transmitted in a different direction from a direction toward the predecessor immediately coupled node from which the first transmission token was received.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the second node is the immediately coupled successor node and the response token is the second transmission token.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the selective transmission of the discovery token to the immediately coupled successor node comprises transmitting the discovery token after the expiration of a discovery timer.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein time for the discovery timer on the first node is longer than time for a communication time-out timer on the second node.

14. A communication arrangement for a downhole network, comprising: a first node configurable to operate as either an intermediate node or a bottom end node;a second node configurable to operate as either a bottom end node or an orphan node;a transmission segment connecting the first and second nodes with the second node in a successor relationship to the first node;wherein the first node is adapted to transmit a discovery token onto the transmission segment while operating as a bottom end node of the downhole network;wherein the second node is adapted to transition to operate as a bottom end node of the downhole network on receipt of the discovery token while operating as an orphan node, and transmit a response token back to the first node; andwherein the first node is further adapted to transition to operate as an intermediate node of the downhole network on receipt of the response token after transmitting the discovery token.

15. The communication arrangement of claim 14, wherein the nodes employ at least a transmission and a repeat token to facilitate communication among the nodes.

16. The communication arrangement of claim 14, wherein the transmission token is a down-token, the repeat token is an up-token in a downhole network, and the bottom end node is configured to automatically generate and transmit the up-token upon receipt of the down-token and to selectively generate and transmit the discovery token.

17. The communication arrangement of claim 16, wherein the selective generation and transmission of a discovery token is based in part on the expiration of a discovery timer.

18. The communication arrangement of claim 14, wherein the second node when configured to operate as an orphan node generates a response token upon receipt of a token.

19. The communication arrangement of claim 14, wherein the first node is further configurable to operate as an orphan node based in part on the expiration of a communication timer.

20. The communication arrangement of claim 19, wherein each of the first and second nodes automatically resets the communication timer upon receipt of an intervening communication.

21. A networking node comprising: at least two communication interfaces configurable to couple the networking node to at least a predecessor node and a successor node;a timing module configurable to track one or more timing periods; anda communication module coupled to the at least two communication interfaces and the timing module, and adapted to perform at least one of:(a) generate a first token, upon expiration of a response timing period or receipt of a second token via one of the at least two communication interfaces from the immediately coupled successor node, and transmit the first token via the same communication interface to the immediately coupled successor node to facilitate selective data communication with at least the immediately coupled successor node;(b) receive a third token, from the predecessor node, via one of the at least two communication interfaces and transmit the third token to the successor node and/or receive a fourth token, different from the third token, from the successor node via the other one of the at least two communication interfaces and transmit the fourth token to the predecessor node;(c) receive a fifth token, via only one of the at least two communication interfaces from the predecessor node and generate and transmit a sixth token to the predecessor node;(d) transmit a seventh token upon expiration of a discovery timing period, via one of the at least two communication interfaces to determine if the successor node is coupled;(e) selectively suspending the networking node after expiration of at least one response timing period associated with one of the at least two communication interfaces; and(f) receive an eighth token to restore the networking node to an operational state after a previous suspension of the networking node, and in response, transmit a ninth token to at least a selected one of the predecessor node and the successor node.

22. The networking node of claim 21, wherein the networking node is adapted to perform at least (c) and (d).

23. The networking node of claim 22, wherein the networking node is further adapted to perform at least (b), the third token and the fifth token are the same token, and the fourth token and the sixth token are the same token.

24. The networking node of claim 22, wherein the networking node is further adapted to perform at least (e) and (f), the seventh token and the eighth token are the same token, and the sixth token and the ninth token are the same token.

25. The networking node of claim 21, wherein the networking node is adapted to perform at least (e) and (f).

26. The networking node of claim 25, wherein the networking node is further adapted to perform at least (b) and at least one of the third token and the fourth token are the same token as the eighth token.

27. The networking node of claim 21, wherein the networking node is adapted to perform at least (b) and (c) and (d) and (e) and (f), the third token and the fifth token and eighth token are the same token, and the fourth token and the sixth token and the seventh token and ninth token are the same token.

28. The networking node of claim 21, wherein the first token, the third token, the fifth token, the seventh token, and the eighth token are a down-token and the second token, the fourth token, the sixth token, and the ninth token are an up-token in a downhole network associated with a drill string, the downhole network formed by a plurality of networking nodes coupled together in a hierarchal physically segmented logical token configuration.

29. The networking device of claim 21, wherein the timing module resets the response timing period associated with each of the at least two communication interfaces upon transmission of a token.

30. The networking device of claim 21, wherein previously suspended nodes are suspended due to the expiration of the response timing periods associated with all of the at least two communication interfaces.

31. An article of manufacture comprising: storage medium having stored therein a plurality of programming instructions; andat least one of first, second, third, and fourth sets of programming instructions, the at least one sets of programming instructions being stored in the storage medium,the first sets of programming instructions are adapted to enable a networking node to generate a first token and to transmit the first token via at least one communication interface to a first immediately coupled successor node to facilitate selective data communication among nodes of a first serial network, the networking node and the first immediately coupled successor node being members of the first serial network, the selective data communication among nodes being suspended via a second token different from the first token,the second sets of programming instructions are adapted to enable a networking node to receive a third token, via the at least one communication interface, from a first immediately coupled predecessor node, and to transmit the third token to a second immediately coupled successor node, the third token being employed to facilitate selective data communication among nodes of a second serial network, the networking node, the first immediately coupled predecessor node, and the second immediately coupled successor node are members of the second serial network, the selective data communication among nodes being suspended via a fourth token different from the third token,the third sets of programming instructions are adapted to enable a networking node to receive a fifth token, via the at least one communication interface, from a second immediately coupled predecessor node, and to generate and to transmit a sixth token, via the at least one communication interface, to the second immediately coupled predecessor node, the sixth token being employed to facilitate selective data transmission from the networking node to the other nodes of a third serial network and to selectively suspend data communication by other nodes of the third serial network, the networking node and the second immediately coupled predecessor node are members of the third serial network, andthe fourth sets of programming instructions are adapted to enable a networking node to suspend transmissions upon expiration of a response timer until a seventh token is received via the at least one communication interface, from a third immediately coupled predecessor node, and upon receipt of the seventh token to generate and to transmit a eighth token, via the at least one communication interface, to the third immediately coupled predecessor node.

32. The article of manufacture of claim 31, wherein the article of manufacture comprises at least two of the first, the second, the third, and the fourth sets of programming instructions.

33. The article of manufacture of claim 32, wherein the article of manufacture comprises three of the first, the second, the third, and the fourth sets of programming instructions.

34. The article of manufacture of claim 33, wherein the article of manufacture comprises all four of the first, the second, the third, and the fourth sets of programming instructions.