Network Formation in Asset-Tracking System Based on Asset Class
First Claim
1. A method of forming a wireless data communication network among transceivers, each transceiver including a designation with a first plurality of transceivers having a first common designation and a second plurality of transceivers having a second common designation different from the first common designation, the method comprising the steps of:
- (a) forming an ad hoc hierarchical network for each of the first plurality and second plurality of transceivers; and
(b) communicating to an external network from each transceiver of each ad hoc hierarchical network by, (i) establishing a communication link between each transceiver in a level of the ad hoc hierarchical network, other than the highest level, with a transceiver in the next higher level of the ad hoc hierarchical network such that transceivers pass communications upward in the ad hoc hierarchical network; and
(ii) establishing a communication link between a transceiver in the highest level of the ad hoc hierarchical network and an external network access transceiver, such that communications from transceivers in the ad hoc hierarchical network are passed through the transceiver in the highest level of the ad hoc hierarchical network to the external network access transceiver.
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Abstract
A plurality of wireless transceivers are associated with assets and each transceiver is assigned a class designation representative of an attribute, characteristic, relation, or behavior of its respective asset. Class based network formation routines are utilized to establish hierarchical networks based on asset classes, and the asset class is used by each transceiver to screen communications intended for receipt by transceivers of the same class. The overall wireless data communication network results in reduced power consumption and signal interference in asset-tracking applications. The transceivers may include a query handling routine for forming a dynamically distributed hierarchical database system. Furthermore, a recipient transceiver selectively receives communications from other local transceivers by transmitting at incrementally stronger power levels to successive groups of transceivers, and receiving reply transmissions only from a limited number of the transceivers that excludes those transceivers from which communications already are received.
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Citations
39 Claims
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1. A method of forming a wireless data communication network among transceivers, each transceiver including a designation with a first plurality of transceivers having a first common designation and a second plurality of transceivers having a second common designation different from the first common designation, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) forming an ad hoc hierarchical network for each of the first plurality and second plurality of transceivers; and
(b) communicating to an external network from each transceiver of each ad hoc hierarchical network by, (i) establishing a communication link between each transceiver in a level of the ad hoc hierarchical network, other than the highest level, with a transceiver in the next higher level of the ad hoc hierarchical network such that transceivers pass communications upward in the ad hoc hierarchical network; and
(ii) establishing a communication link between a transceiver in the highest level of the ad hoc hierarchical network and an external network access transceiver, such that communications from transceivers in the ad hoc hierarchical network are passed through the transceiver in the highest level of the ad hoc hierarchical network to the external network access transceiver.
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2. A method of forming a wireless data communication network among transceivers in an asset-tracking system, each transceiver including a class designation with a first plurality of transceivers having a first class designation and a second plurality of transceivers having a second class designation different from the first class designation, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) forming an ad hoc hierarchical class based network for each of the first plurality and second plurality of transceivers; and
(b) communicating to an external network from each transceiver of each ad hoc hierarchical class based network by, (i) establishing a communication link between each transceiver in a level of the ad hoc hierarchical class based network, other than the highest level, with a transceiver in the next higher level of the ad hoc hierarchical class based network such that transceivers pass communications upward in the ad hoc hierarchical class based network; and
(ii) establishing a communication link between a transceiver in the highest level of the ad hoc hierarchical class based network and an external network access transceiver, such that communications from transceivers in the ad hoc hierarchical class based network are passed through the transceiver in the highest level of the ad hoc hierarchical class based network to the external network access transceiver. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. A method for communicating to a recipient transceiver from a plurality of transceivers, the plurality of transceivers being located within the broadcast range of the recipient transceiver, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) transmitting a communication at a first power level such that only a first group of transceivers receive the broadcast, the communication including a command causing each of the first group of transceivers not to respond to a subsequent broadcast; and
subsequent thereto(b) transmitting a communication at a second power level greater than the first power level such that a second group of transceivers greater than and including the first group of transceivers receive the broadcast, but such that only a limited number of transceivers of the second group respond to the broadcast, the limited number of transceivers excluding the first group of transceivers.
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29. A method for communicating to a recipient transceiver from a plurality of transceivers, the plurality of transceivers being located within the broadcast range of the recipient transceiver and the plurality of transceivers exceeding the number of transceivers from which communications can be received by the transceiver without radio frequency interference due to its channel capacity, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) transmitting a communication at a first power level such that only a first group of transceivers receive the broadcast, the first group in number of transceivers being not greater than the number of transceivers from which communications can be received by the transceiver without radio frequency interference due to its channel capacity, the communication including a command causing each of the first group of transceivers not to respond to a subsequent broadcast; and
subsequent thereto(b) transmitting a communication at a second power level greater than the first power level such that a second group of transceivers greater than and including the first group of transceivers receive the broadcast, but such that only a limited number of transceivers of the second group respond to the broadcast, the limited number of transceivers excluding the first group of transceivers and comprising not greater the number of transceivers from which communications can be received by the transceiver without radio frequency interference due to its channel capacity. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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Specification