Controlling wireless, low-power radio frequency network

• US 20020061744A1
• Filed: 10/17/2001
• Published: 05/23/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Patria Ailon Oy (Almare Systems Oy)
• Original Assignee: Patria Ailon Oy (Almare Systems Oy)
• Inventors: Tuominen, Juha, Hamalainen, Kai, Vilkko, Matti
• Application Number:
  US09/978,844
• Publication Number:
  US 20020061744A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/10 Small scale networks; Flat hierarchical networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 Master-slave selection or change arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method for controlling a wireless, low-power radio frequency network, and a control device, the network comprising a control device arranged as a master device and at least one slave device subordinated thereto. The master device is arranged to convey control data to the slave device and to receive detection data from the slave device. A data transmission connection is established between the master device and an external terminal via a second telecommunication network, in the master device the received detection data are arranged into a format required by the data transmission protocol used in the data transmission connection to be forwarded to the external terminal and control data from the external terminal to the master device for controlling at least one slave device is conveyed in the format required by the data transmission protocol used on the transmission connection.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a wireless, low-power radio frequency network, which comprises a master device and at least one slave device subordinated thereto, the master device being configured to convey control data to said at least one slave device and to receive detection data from said at least one slave device, the method comprising

establishing a data transmission connection between the master device and an external terminal via a second telecommunication network,

arranging said received detection data in the master device into a format required by a transmission protocol used in said transmission connection for being conveyed to said external terminal, and

conveying control data from said external terminal device to the master device in the format required by the transmission protocol used in said transmission connection for controlling said at least one slave device.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising

arranging in the master device said detection data into a format required by a graphic browser specification, such as HTML or WML, and

controlling devices subordinated to the master device from a hypertext page according to said graphic browser specification by the external terminal.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising

establishing an Internet connection from said at least one slave device via the master device and the external telecommunication network.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3, further comprising

using the Internet connection established by the master as a Internet connection shared between a plurality of devices in response to a second slave device establishing an Internet connection.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising

authenticating in the master device said slave devices and the external terminal in response to the first connection establishment to the master device.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising

converting wireless voice calls between the master device and said at least one slave device into a voice call format of an external telecommunication network in the master device to be transmitted beyond the low-power network and

converting a call of an external network format voice call destined for said at least one slave device in the master device to be transmitted wirelessly in the voice call format of the low-power network.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising

collecting identification data of the slave devices of at least one wireless low-power radio frequency network to said terminal and

controlling the call from the terminal to a slave device to be routed to the corresponding radio frequency network on the basis of said identification data.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising

establishing a data transmission connection between the master device and an external storing means,

storing said detection data in said external storing means, establishing an interactive data transmission connection between said external storing means and said external terminal, and

updating control data for said external storing means and master device in response to said external terminal conveying control data to said external storing means.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8, further comprising

storing said detection data also in a buffer memory of the lowpower radio frequency network.

10. A wireless low-power radio network control device, which is configured to be a network master device and to convey control data to at least one slave device belonging to said network and to receive detection data from said at least one slave device, the control device comprising

means for establishing a telecommunication connection to an external terminal via a second telecommunication network,

means for arranging said detection data into a format required by the data transmission protocol used in said data transmission connection, and means for handling the control data received from said external

terminal and for forwarding them to said at least one slave device.

11. A control device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the control device further comprises

means for arranging said detection data into a format required by a graphic browser specification, such as HTML or WML, and

means for controlling the slave devices according to commands received from the external terminal'"'"'s hypertext page according to said graphic browser specification.

12. A control device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the control device further comprises

means for establishing a telecommunication connection to a plurality of external telecommunication networks which networks comprise at least some of the following:

a public wired telephone network (PSTN/ISDN), a public mobile network (GSM, UMTS) an ADSL network, a local area network.

13. A control device as claimed in claim 12, further comprising

means for establishing an Internet connection to said at least one slave device via said radio network and external telecommunication network.

14. A control device as claimed in claim 13, further comprising

means for sharing said Internet connection between a plurality of devices in response to a second slave device requesting for an Internet connection.

15. A control device as claimed in claim 10, further comprising

authenticating means for identifying said slave devices and external terminals in response to their first connection establishment to the control device.

16. A control device as claimed in claim 10, further comprising

converting means for converting voice calls between the control device and said at least one slave device into a voice call format of an external telecommunication network to be conveyed beyond said low-power network, and

converting means for conveying a call, which is in a voice call format of an external telecommunication network and destined for at least one slave device, wirelessly into a converted voice call format of said low-power network.

17. A control device as claimed in claim 10, further comprising

connecting means for attaching a local terminal in a wireless or wired manner to the control device, by which terminal it is possible to control the control device according to commands from the hypertext page according to the graphic browser specification.

18. A control device as claimed in claim 17, wherein

the means for establishing an external or local terminal connection are either integrated in the control device or implemented as attachable modules.

19. A control device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the control device is configured

to establish a data transmission connection to the external storing means,

to store said detection data in said external storing means, and

to update control data transmitted from said external terminal via said external storing means.

20. A control device as claimed in claim 19, wherein the control device is further configured

to store said detection data in a buffer memory included in said lowpower radio frequency network.