System and method of communication between multiple point-coordinated wireless networks

• US 20030224787A1
• Filed: 11/27/2002
• Published: 12/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: North Star Innovations Inc. (Wi-LAN Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Gandolfo, Pierre T.
• Granted Patent: US 7,184,767 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/434
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/71632 Signal aspects H04B1/7172 and H04B1/7176 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/46 in multi hop networks, e.g. wireless relay networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/08 Mobility data transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/24 between backbone network devices

Abstract

A wireless scatternet is provided that has at least two networks, each including a controller and one or more devices. The controller of each network has a usable physical area that indicates the farthest distance to which the controller can successfully communicate. The controllers will pass network information to each other in various ways depending upon the extent of overlap between the networks. If two networks have visible overlap, the controllers will pass the network information directly. If they have hidden overlap, one controller will use a device in the other controller'"'"'s network to pass the network information. If they have indirect overlap, one device from each network will together in a child network, and the controllers will pass the network information via the devices in this child network. The network information may be passed through beacons or a separate broadcast message.

Claims

1. An ultrawide bandwidth wireless scatternet, comprising:

a first network including

a first controller for controlling operation of the first network, the first controller having a first usable physical area indicating a farthest distance to which the first controller can successfully communicate, and

one or more first devices located in the first usable physical area; and

a second network including

a second controller for controlling operation of the second network, the second controller having a second usable physical area indicating a farthest distance to which the second controller can successfully communicate; and

one or more second devices located in the second usable physical area,

wherein the first controller is within the second usable physical area and the second controller is within the first usable physical area, and

wherein the first and second controllers exchange network information data via an ultrawide bandwidth signal.

2. An ultrawide bandwidth wireless scatternet, as recited in claim 1, wherein the network information data includes at least one of:

a router/controller identifier, an indicator of an age of the network information data, a count of a number of times the network information data has been passed between controllers or devices, a sequence number, a load feedback, a number of associated network devices, a list of neighborhood media access controller address, a list of supported data rates, a list of available network bridge connections, and a list of available network services.

3. An ultrawide bandwidth wireless scatternet, as recited in claim 1, wherein the network information data is exchanged via first and second ultrawide bandwidth beacons transmitted by the first and second controllers, respectively.

4. An ultrawide bandwidth wireless scatternet, as recited in claim 1, wherein the network information data is exchanged via first and second ultrawide bandwidth broadcast messages transmitted by the first and second controllers, respectively.

5. A method of sharing network information data between first and second ultrawide bandwidth networks in an ultrawide bandwidth scatternet, comprising:

transmitting a first beacon from a first controller in the first network, the first beacon including first network information data;

receiving the first beacon at a second controller in the second network; and

extracting the first network information data from the first beacon at the second controller.

6. A method of sharing network information data between first and second ultrawide bandwidth networks in an ultrawide bandwidth scatternet, as recited in claim 5, further comprising relaying the first beacon from the first controller to the second controller via a relay device located within a usable physical area of both the first controller and the second controller, the relaying of the first beacon being performed between the steps of transmitting the first beacon and receiving the first beacon.

7. A method of sharing network information data between first and second ultrawide bandwidth networks in an ultrawide bandwidth scatternet, as recited in claim 6, wherein the relay device is a member of the first network.

8. A method of sharing network information data between first and second ultrawide bandwidth networks in an ultrawide bandwidth scatternet, as recited in claim 6, wherein the relay device is a member of the second network.

9. A method of sharing network information data between first and second ultrawide bandwidth networks in an ultrawide bandwidth scatternet, as recited in claim 5, further comprising:

transmitting a second beacon from the second controller, the second beacon including second network information data;

receiving the second beacon at the first controller; and

extracting the second network information data from the second beacon at the first controller.

10. A method of sharing network information data between first and second ultrawide bandwidth networks in an ultrawide bandwidth scatternet, as recited in claim 9, further comprising relaying the second beacon from the second controller to the first controller via a relay device located within the usable physical area of the first controller and the usable physical area of the second controller, the relaying of the second beacon being performed between the steps of transmitting the second beacon and receiving the second beacon.

11. A method of sharing network information data between first and second ultrawide bandwidth networks in an ultrawide bandwidth scatternet, as recited in claim 10, wherein the relay device is a member of the first network.

12. A method of sharing network information data between first and second ultrawide bandwidth networks in an ultrawide bandwidth scatternet, as recited in claim 10, wherein the relay device is a member of the second network.

13. A method of sharing network information data between first and second ultrawide bandwidth networks in an ultrawide bandwidth scatternet, as recited in claim 9, further comprising

relaying the first beacon from the first controller to the second controller via a relay device located within the usable physical area of the first controller and the usable physical area of the second controller, the relaying of the first beacon being performed between the steps of transmitting the first beacon and receiving the first beacon;

and

relaying the second beacon from the second controller to the first controller via the relay device, the relaying of the second beacon being performed between the steps of transmitting the second beacon and receiving the second beacon.

14. A method of sharing network information data between first and second ultrawide bandwidth networks in an ultrawide bandwidth scatternet, as recited in claim 9, wherein the second network information data includes at least one of:

a version identifier, a broadcast message type, a router/controller identifier, an indicator of an age of the second network information data, a count of a number of times the second network information data has been passed between controllers or devices, a sequence number, a load feedback, a number of associated network devices, a neighborhood media access controller address, a data rate, a list of available network bridge connections, and a list of available network services.

15. A method of sharing network information data between first and second ultrawide bandwidth networks in an ultrawide bandwidth scatternet, as recited in claim 5, wherein the first network information data includes at least one of:

a version identifier, a broadcast message type, a router/controller identifier, an indicator of an age of the first network information data, a count of a number of times the first network information data has been passed between controllers or devices, a sequence number, a load feedback, a number of associated network devices, a neighborhood media access controller address, a data rate, a list of available network bridge connections, and a list of available network services.

16. An ultrawide bandwidth wireless scatternet, comprising:

a first network including

a first controller for controlling operation of the first network, the first controller having a first usable physical area indicating a farthest distance to which the first controller can successfully communicate, and

one or more first devices located in the first usable physical area; and

a second network including

a second controller for controlling operation of the second network, the second controller having a second usable physical area indicating a farthest distance to which the second controller can successfully communicate; and

one or more second devices located in the second usable physical area,

wherein at least one of the one or more first devices is within the second usable physical area and operates as a relay device, and

wherein the first and second controllers exchange network information data via an ultrawide bandwidth signal passed through the relay device.

17. An ultrawide bandwidth wireless scatternet, comprising:

a first network including

a first controller for controlling operation of the first network, the first controller having a first usable physical area indicating a farthest distance to which the first controller can successfully communicate, and

one or more first devices located in the first usable physical area; and

a second network including

a second controller for controlling operation of the second network, the second controller having a second usable physical area indicating a farthest distance to which the second controller can successfully communicate; and

one or more second devices located in the second usable physical area,

wherein one of the one or more first devices is a controller-capable device,

wherein the controller-capable device operates as a child network controller for controlling operation of a child network, the child network controller having a child network usable physical area indicating a farthest distance to which the child network controller can successfully communicate

wherein at least one of the one or more second devices is within the child network usable physical area and operates as a child device in the child network, and

wherein the first and second controllers exchange network information data via the child controller and the child device in the child network.