Redundant links for reliable communication

• US 10,117,119 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2017
• Issued: 10/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: B&W Group Ltd. (Masimo Corporation)
• Original Assignee: EVA Automation, Inc.
• Inventors: Yu, Gaylord
• Primary Examiner(s): Javaid, Jamal
• Application Number:
  US15/663,828
• Publication Number:
  US 20170332263A1
• Time in Patent Office: 456 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0069 in case of dual connectivity, e.g. decoupled uplink/downlink
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/28 involving a plurality of connections, e.g. multi-call or multi-bearer connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 Setup of multiple wireless link connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/18 Management of setup rejection or failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

In order to maintain performance during wireless communication, a transmitting electronic device may concurrently and independently communicate redundant information to a receiving electronic device. In particular, information associated with a data stream may be communicated to the receiving electronic device using one or more channels by two radios using one or more wireless local area network communication protocols. The packets transmitted by the radios may preferentially include the same information. Moreover, the transmitting electronic device may attempt to maintain the redundant communication if a performance metric associated with the one or more channels degrades. For example, the transmitting electronic device may transfer communication to a different channel or may compress the information in the packets in the one or more channels if the throughput drops below a threshold value. Furthermore, the concurrent communication may allow the transmitting electronic device determine link quality without disrupting the communication of the information.

Claims

1. A transmitting electronic device, comprising:

an input port configured to receive information associated with a data stream;

a first interface circuit configured to communicatively couple to a first antenna and to communicate first packets between the transmitting electronic device and a receiving electronic device via a first channel using a wireless-local-area-network (WLAN) communication protocol, wherein the first packets include the information associated with the data stream;

a second interface circuit configured to communicatively couple to a second antenna and to communicate second packets between transmitting electronic device and the receiving electronic device via a second channel using the WLAN communication protocol, wherein the second packets include the information associated with the data stream and the second channel is different than the first channel;

wherein, in a first operating mode, the second packets are communicated concurrently with the first packets; and

wherein, in a second operating mode, the transmitting electronic device is configured to determine a distance to the receiving electronic device and an associated phase distortion for one of the first channel and the second channel, including determining a first estimate of the distance based on a received signal strength and refining the first estimate of the distance using one or more of an angle of arrival (AOA), a round trip time (RTT) and a time of arrival (TOA), while the information is communicated using the other of the first channel and the second channel.

2. The transmitting electronic device of claim 1, wherein the AOA uses phase information from a receiver circuit in the transmitting electronic device to estimate an impact of a given channel on the phase distortion.

3. The transmitting electronic device of claim 1, wherein the RTT is based on Request-to-Send (RTS) and Clear-to-Send (CTS) messages, which allow the transmitting electronic device to perform a one-sided calculation of the distance to the receiving electronic device.

4. The transmitting electronic device of claim 1, wherein the TOA is based on time stamps in at least one of the first packets and the second packets.

5. The transmitting electronic device of claim 1, wherein the transmitting electronic device is configured to calculate the TOA based on information specifying a partial calculation of the TOA from the receiving electronic device.

6. The transmitting electronic device of claim 1, wherein the WLAN communication protocol is compatible with an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard.

7. The transmitting electronic device of claim 1, wherein the communication of the first packets via the first channel is independent of the communication of the second packets via the second channel.

8. The transmitting electronic device of claim 1, wherein, in the second operating mode, the transmitting electronic device is configured to determine, for the one of the first channel and the second channel, channel calibration, while the information is communicated using the other of the first channel and the second channel.

9. The transmitting electronic device of claim 1, wherein in the second operating mode, the transmitting electronic device is configured to dynamically perform spectral analysis of channels associated with the WLAN communication protocol using one of the first interface circuit and the second interface circuit without disrupting the communication of the information;

and

wherein the dynamic spectral analysis involves capturing time-domain signals associated with at least a given channel during the communication and performing a Fourier transform or a discrete Fourier transform to determine a spectrum or a power spectrum distribution.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for use in conjunction with a transmitting electronic device, the computer-readable storage medium storing a program module that, when executed by the transmitting electronic device, causes the transmitting electronic device to perform one or more operations comprising:

receiving information associated with a data stream via an input port in the transmitting electronic device;

in a first operating mode;

communicating, to a first interface circuit in the transmitting electronic device, first packets for a receiving electronic device and associated with a first channel using a wireless-local-area-network (WLAN) communication protocol, wherein the first packets include the information associated with the data stream; and

communicating, to the second interface circuit in the transmitting electronic device, second packets for the receiving electronic device associated with a second channel using the WLAN communication protocol, wherein the second packets include the information associated with the data stream and the second channel is different than the first channel;

wherein, in the first operating mode, the second packets are communicated concurrently with the first packets; and

in a second operating mode;

determining a distance to the receiving electronic device and an associated phase distortion for one of the first channel and the second channel, including determining a first estimate of the distance based on a received signal strength and refining the first estimate of the distance using one or more of an angle of arrival (AOA), a round trip time (RTT) and a time of arrival (TOA), while the information is communicated using the other of the first channel and the second channel.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the AOA uses phase information from a receiver circuit in the transmitting electronic device to estimate an impact of a given channel on the phase distortion.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the RTT is based on Request-to-Send (RTS) and Clear-to-Send (CTS) messages, which allow the transmitting electronic device to perform a one-sided calculation of the distance to the receiving electronic device.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the TOA is based on time stamps in at least one of the first packets and the second packets.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the one or more operations comprise calculating the TOA based on information specifying a partial calculation of the TOA from the receiving electronic device.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the WLAN communication protocol is compatible with an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the communication of the first packets via the first channel is independent of the communication of the second packets via the second channel.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein, in the second operating mode, the one or more operations comprise determining, for the one of the first channel and the second channel, channel calibration, while the information is communicated using the other of the first channel and the second channel.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein in the second operating mode, the one or more operations comprise dynamically performing spectral analysis of channels associated with the WLAN communication protocol using one of the first interface circuit and the second interface circuit without disrupting the communication of the information;

and

wherein the dynamic spectral analysis involves capturing time-domain signals associated with at least a given channel during the communication and performing a Fourier transform or a discrete Fourier transform to determine a spectrum or a power spectrum distribution.

19. A method for communicating information associated with a data stream from a transmitting electronic device to a receiving electronic device, wherein the method comprises:

by the transmitting electronic device;

receiving information associated with the data stream via an input port in the transmitting electronic device;

in a first operating mode;

communicating, to a first interface circuit in the transmitting electronic device, first packets for the receiving electronic device and associated with a first channel using a wireless-local-area-network (WLAN) communication protocol, wherein the first packets include the information associated with the data stream; and

communicating, to the second interface circuit in the transmitting electronic device, second packets for the receiving electronic device associated with a second channel using the WLAN communication protocol, wherein the second packets include the information associated with the data stream and the second channel is different than the first channel;

wherein, in the first operating mode, the second packets are communicated concurrently with the first packets; and

in a second operating mode;

determining a distance to the receiving electronic device and an associated phase distortion for one of the first channel and the second channel, including determining a first estimate of the distance based on a received signal strength and refining the first estimate of the distance using one or more of an angle of arrival (AOA), a round trip time (RTT) and a time of arrival (TOA), while the information is communicated using the other of the first channel and the second channel.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the AOA uses phase information from a receiver circuit in the transmitting electronic device to estimate an impact of a given channel on the phase distortion.