Physically Segmented Logical Token Network

Abstract

Token authorized packet exchange 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 embodiments, but not limitations, illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which like references denote similar elements, and in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a data communication arrange in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of a network node of FIG. 1, in accordance with various embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart view of a portion of the operations of a first end node as presented in FIG. 1 in further detail, in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart view of a portion of the operations of an intermediate node as presented in FIG. 1 in further detail, in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart view of a portion of the operations of a second end node as presented in FIG. 1 in further detail, in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart view of a portion of the operations of a physically segmented logical token network in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart view of a portion of the operations of a network node in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 8 illustrates a downhole networking environment suitable for practicing various embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 9 illustrates a network node suitable for practicing various embodiments of the present invention as presented in FIG. 8 in further detail, in accordance with various embodiments; and

FIG. 10 illustrates another networking environment suitable for practicing various embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A communication arrangement, comprising: a first end node;a first transmission segment directly connected to the first end node;an intermediate node directly connected to the first transmission segment;a second transmission segment coupled to the intermediate node; anda second end node directly connected to the second transmission segment;wherein the first and second end nodes are the only end nodes of the communication arrangement; andwherein each of the intermediate and end nodes includes logic configured to enable the nodes to communicate with each other in accordance with a communication protocol that provides for each node to receive each communication initiated by each node, independent of whether a node is an intended recipient of a communication.

2. The communication arrangement of claim 1, wherein the second transmission segment is directly connected to the intermediate node.

3. The communication arrangement of claim 2, wherein there is only one intermediate node, the one intermediate node is also the second end node, and the second end node is immediately coupled to the first end node.

4. The communication arrangement of claim 1, further comprising another intermediate node and a third transmission segment directly connecting the other intermediate node to the intermediate node, wherein the second transmission segment is serially coupled to the intermediate node through the other intermediate node and the third transmission segment, and wherein the other intermediate node also includes logic configured to enable the other intermediate node to communicate with the other nodes in accordance with the communication protocol.

5. The communication arrangement of claim 4, wherein the second transmission segment is directly connected to the other intermediate node.

6. The communication arrangement of claim 1, wherein the first and second end nodes and the at least one intermediate node employ at least a first and a second token to facilitate communication among the nodes.

7. The communication arrangement of claim 6, wherein the first token is employed to authorize an intermediate node to transmit data to at least one immediately coupled node during communication, and the second token is employed to start a new iteration of data communication.

8. The communication arrangement of claim 7, wherein the first end node is adapted to generate and transmit the first token to the immediately coupled intermediate node.

9. The communication arrangement of claim 7, wherein each intermediate node is adapted to receive the first token from a predecessor immediately coupled node, and transmit the first token to a successor immediately coupled node.

10. The communication arrangement of claim 9, wherein each intermediate node is further adapted to electively transmit data to at least one immediately coupled node in response to receipt of the first token.

11. The communication arrangement of claim 10, wherein upon receipt of the first token, the intermediate node is conditionally adapted to transmit the first token to a successor immediately coupled node with and/or after the transmitted data of the intermediate node.

12. The communication arrangement of claim 10, wherein the electively transmitted data of the intermediate node is systematically received by all nodes in a hierarchal physically segmented logical token downhole network.

13. The communication arrangement of claim 9, wherein the second end node is adapted to receive the first token from the immediately coupled intermediate node and, in response, generate and transmit the second token to the immediately coupled intermediate node.

14. The communication arrangement of claim 13, wherein each intermediate node is adapted to receive the second token from a successor immediately coupled node, and transmit the second token to a predecessor immediately coupled node.

15. The communication arrangement of claim 14, wherein the first end node is adapted to receive the second token from the immediately coupled intermediate node, and in response, generate and transmit a new first token to the immediately coupled intermediate node.

16. The communication arrangement of claim 1, wherein the first end node is a top node, the second end node is a bottom node, a first token is a down-token, and a second token is an up-token in a downhole network associated with a drill string, the downhole network formed by a plurality of store and forward nodes coupled together in a hierarchal physically segmented logical token configuration.

17. The communication arrangement of claim 16, wherein the down-token is a logical token that the individual nodes are cyclically and/or periodically allowed to claim.

18. The communication arrangement of claim 16, wherein the up-token is a logical token that only the top node is allowed to claim.

19. The communication arrangement of claim 16, wherein each intermediate node may become the bottom node when no data and/or token is received from a successor immediately coupled node for a designated time period based in part on the number of nodes in the downhole network.

20. The communication arrangement of claim 16, wherein the top node is configured to selectively generate another down-token if the up-token is not received within a designated time period based in part on the number of nodes in the downhole network.

21. The communication arrangement of claim 1, wherein each intermediate node is coupled to only one predecessor node and to only one successor node.

22. A networking node comprising: at least one communication interface; anda communication module coupled to the at least one communication interface, and adapted to perform at least one of:

23. The networking node of claim 22, wherein the networking node is adapted to perform at least (a) and (b), and the first token and the third token are the same token,the second token and the fourth token are the same token, andthe first serial network and the second serial network are the same serial network.

24. The networking node of claim 22, wherein the networking node is adapted to perform at least (a) and (c), and the first token and the fifth token are the same token;the second token and the sixth token are the same token, andthe first serial network and the third serial network are the same serial network.

25. The networking node of claim 22, wherein the networking node is adapted to perform at least (b) and (c), and the third token and the fifth token are the same token,the fourth token and the sixth token are the same token, andthe second serial network and the third serial network are the same serial network.

26. The networking node of claim 22, wherein the networking node is adapted to perform (a), (b) and (c), and the first token, the third token, and the fifth token are the same token, the second token, the fourth token, and the sixth token are the same token, andthe first serial network, the second serial network, and the third serial network are the same serial network.

27. The networking node of claim 26, wherein the first token, the third token, and the fifth token are a down-token and the second token, the fourth token and the sixth 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.

28. The networking node of claim 22, wherein the networking node provides elective data transmission.

29. The networking node of claim 22, wherein the networking node is a sensor adapted for use in a downhole network.

30. A method comprising: a first end node generating and transmitting a first token;an immediately coupled intermediate node receiving and transmitting the first token to a successor immediately coupled node; anda second end node receiving the first token from a predecessor immediately coupled node and, in response, generating a second token and transmitting to the predecessor immediately coupled node.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein upon receiving the first token, electively transmitting of data by an intermediate node to at least a successor immediately coupled node and/or a predecessor immediately coupled node.

32. The method of claim 30, further comprising receiving the second token from the successor immediately coupled node and immediately transmitting the second token to the predecessor immediately coupled node, without electively transmitting data to at least a successor immediately coupled node and/or a predecessor immediately coupled node, until the second token is received by the first end node.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein upon receiving the first token, electively transmitting of data by the second end node to at least the predecessor immediately coupled node.

34. An article of manufacture comprising: storage medium having stored therein a plurality of programming instructions; andat least one of first, second and third 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, andthe 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 a sixth token and to transmit the 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.

35. The article of manufacture of claim 33, wherein the article of manufacture comprises at least two of the first, the second and the third sets of programming instructions.

36. The article of manufacture of claim 34, wherein the article of manufacture comprises all three of the first, the second, and the third sets of programming instructions.

37. A method comprising: receiving a down-token at a node in a downhole network, the downhole network formed by a plurality of nodes coupled together in a hierarchal physically segmented logical token configuration;determining whether nodal data is available to be transmitted from the node to other nodes in the hierarchal physically segmented logical token of the downhole network; andpassing the down-token to a next node in the hierarchal physically segmented logical token of the downhole network.

38. The method of claim 36, further comprising: receiving an up-token from the next node in the hierarchal physically segmented logical token of the downhole network; andimmediately transmitting the up-token to the previous node.

39. The method of claim 36, further comprising: receiving data at the node from one of the previous node and the next node; and transmitting the data to the other one of the previous node and the next node.

40. The method of claim 36, further comprising claiming the down-token to authorize data transmission across the hierarchal physically segmented logical token of the downhole network, upon determining that nodal data is waiting within the node to be transmitted to other nodes.

41. The method of claim 36, further comprising transmitting nodal data to the other nodes in the hierarchal physically segmented logical token of the downhole network upon claiming the received down-token.