Company network using time slot reuse

• US 20040076135A1
• Filed: 11/05/2003
• Published: 04/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures Assets 20 LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC), Kvaser Consultant Aktiebolag
• Original Assignee: Xinshu Management LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Fredriksson, Lars-Berno
• Granted Patent: US 7,844,679 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/16 for PBS [Private Base Station] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/04 Scheduled access hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

An arrangement and a device comprises a mobile data and communication network within a predetermined geographical area. The device operates with first and second functions that can consist of, for example, company and/or customers functions and communication and/or slave functions respectively. Two or more units in the first function are synchronized with each other as regards time and frequency in order to act, from the point of view of connection and disconnection functions, as a common first unit for second units that carry out the second function. Time consuming handshaking procedures are then avoided for the second units when these one'"'"'s are moving and shifting between part areas of said predetermined area and the total system will operate rapidly in this respect.

Claims

1. Arrangement for a communication system which on the one hand comprises a number of company nodes which operate with a master function and are each arranged to cover a part area in a common geographical area, for example within a company, in a factory, hospital, etc., and on the other hand is arranged to allow a number of customer nodes operating with slave functions to be capable of being activated and deactivated for telecommunication and/or data communication within the common geographical area, the system being assigned frequencies within a selected frequency band range and operating with a time gap (slot) function, which assigns the nodes time gaps (slots) within the respective part area, and a synchronizing function (for time and frequency), for example brought about by means of a synchronizing node, one of said company nodes or a GPS function, and also comprising a database accessible to the respective company node, characterized in that the company nodes are arranged to operate with coordinated time gaps (slots) and with common frequencies appearing therein which shift simultaneously according to the hopping system used, and in that the various company nodes are in this way arranged to bring about a common identity with regard to the respective mobile customer node and thus eliminate for the latter the requirement for handshaking in order to be taken over by the respective new company node when the customer node passes between part areas within the common area.

2. An arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that business transactions can be carried out via the company network.

3. An arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the company network can work with Bluetooth nodes.

5. A device according to claim 3, characterized in that it is based on a number of first and second units that operate with one or more protocols or signal specifications, for example the Bluetooth specification.

7. A device according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, characterized in that all or most of the units operate with a synchronized frequency hop.

4. A device in the form of a mobile data and communication network within a predetermined geographical area, for example within a company, factory, hospital, etc, and working with first functions, for example in the form of base station and/or master functions and second functions, for example in the form of communication functions and/or data functions, established by means of fixed and/or movable mobile units and/or nodes, characterized in that two or more units in the first function are synchronized with each other as regards time and frequency in order to act, from the point of view of connection and disconnection functions, as a common first unit for second units that carry out the second function, whereby handshaking procedures are avoided when the second units are moving or shifting between part areas in said predetermined geographical area.

6. A device according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that all or most of the units operating within the geographical area are synchronized to one and the same clock or time reference, and in the case with Bluetooth the units in question refer to one and the same Bluetooth time.

8. A device according to any one of claims 4-7, characterized in that all or most of the units use the same frequency and change frequencies simultaneously.

9. A device according to any one of claims 4-7, characterized in that all or most of the units use the same address functions.

10. A device according to any one of claims 4-9, characterized in that within the geographical area a common network or network connections are arranged that are cable-based or wireless.

11. A device according to claim 10, characterized in that in the wireless version, in the planning of the nodes'"'"' Bluetooth schedule, certain or selected time slots are reserved for communication between adjacent company nodes.

12. A device according to any one of claims 4-10, characterized in that the nodes are arranged to exchange messages, via the common company network or connection system, with each other and/or a central node belonging to the company with database and connection to an additional data and/or telecommunications network, for example the Internet, a public telephone network, etc.

13. A device according to any one of claims 4-12, characterized in that the company nodes are preferably permanently installed and allocated geographical locations and/or antenna layouts such that a given range pattern and overlap pattern are obtained between the nodes, and that the time slots are scheduled so that the available bandwidth serves an optimal number of customer nodes in the system while retaining quality and availability.

14. A device according to any one of claims 4-13, characterized in that the system is constructed in principle from a number of parallel networks that are co-ordinated with each other so that collisions between them are essentially or completely reduced, which means that maximal space is created for other Bluetooth nodes within the area.

15. A device according to any one of claims 4-14, characterized in that the customer nodes can be synchronized via synchronization nodes or at any company node, and that the synchronization method corresponds to the synchronization method utilized in the Bluetooth standard.

16. A device according to claim 15, characterized in that, in conjunction with the synchronization, information can be exchanged for further service provision in the system, for example, name, account number, customer profile, etc, and/or can be updated in the central database.

17. A device according to any one of claims 4-16, characterized in that the central unit is connected to a GPS node to achieve synchronization to GPS time, and that the company'"'"'s Bluetooth time is thereby synchronized to GPS time.

18. A device according to any one of claims 4-17, characterized in that customer nodes that are synchronized to GPS time have the ability to synchronize their Bluetooth time to this time, and thereby achieve synchronization to the company'"'"'s nodes for their software/data without needing to synchronize themselves via the synchronization node, or alternatively, after synchronization in the conventional way, are able to be permanently synchronized via the GPS time.

19. A device according to any one of claims 4-18, characterized in that the different company nodes are scheduled so that they have particular exclusive time slots within their area of coverage and that outside their area of coverage, the same time slots are allocated to other company nodes.

20. A device according to claim 19, characterized in that in overlapping areas, a time slot that is allocated to a company node can be listened to by the other company nodes and that by measuring the signal strength an adjacent node is able to take over a customer node from an adjacent company node.

21. A device according to claim 20, characterized in that the taking over is carried out when the signal strength exceeds a pre-programmed threshold value or that during a transitional stage, two or more company nodes allocate the customer node a time slot belonging to the respective company node.

22. A device according to any one of claims 4-21, characterized in that the exchange of information between the company system and the customer nodes is carried out completely or partially by voice.

24. A device according to any one of claims 4-22, characterized in that for closely-related mobile units, for example belonging to different family members, groups, etc, the first function distinguishes the mobile units, via which orientation functions within the geographical area can be initiated by means of the said closely-related mobile units.

23. A device for a geographical area provided with a mobile internal telecommunications and/or data network in which there is a base station/master function, here called a first function, and a mobile/slave function, here called a second function, characterized in that a mobile unit that enters the area achieves synchronization to the network, that the first and second functions set up query and response functions, that the mobile units perform direction functions within the geographical area, that in the event of movement of the mobile unit within the area, updating of this is carried out in the first function, that an interest or need function registered by the mobile unit can be processed in the first function, and that any payment function associated with the interest or need function can be implemented between the first and second functions.