Radio frequency local area network

• US 20050102443A1
• Filed: 12/09/2004
• Published: 05/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/1991
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Robert C. Meier, Ronald E. Luse, Ronald L. Mahany
• Inventors: Meier, Robert C., Mahany, Ronald L., Luse, Ronald E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,415,548 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/18
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0225 User interface arrangements, e.g. keyboard, display; Interfaces to other computer systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1098 the scanning arrangement having a modular construction
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/20 Binding and programming of remote control devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/007 specially adapted for indoor communication
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/241 used in mobile communications, e.g. GSM H01Q1/247, H01Q1/248 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/24 Combinations of antenna units polarised in different directions for transmitting or receiving circularly and elliptically polarised waves or waves linearly polarised in any direction circularly polarised patch antennas H01Q9/0428; circularly polarised horns H01Q13/0241; cross-polarised horns H01Q13/0258; polarisation converters H01Q15/242; cross-polarised rear feeds H01Q19/136; crossed polarisation dual antenna H01Q25/001
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/1615 Switching on; Switching off, e.g. remotely battery saving circuits associated with selective call operation H04W52/00; details of power consumption reduction in a PLL, H03L7/0802, H03L7/14, H03L2207/08, H03L2207/18; muting amplifiers by gain control see H03G3/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3833 Hand-held transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/69 Spread spectrum techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/0085 using test signal generators
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0003 by switching between different modulation schemes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0007 by modifying the frame length
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0014 by adapting the source coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0025 Transmission of mode-switching indication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0032 Without explicit signalling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0071 Use of interleaving interleaving per se H03M13/27
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/08 by repeating transmission, e.g. Verdan system H04L1/1858 and H04L1/189 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/12 Arrangements for remote connection or disconnection of substations or of equipment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4625 : Single bridge functionality, e.g. connection of two networks over a single bridge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0097 : Relays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/026 : Details of "hello" or keep-alive messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/26 : Route discovery packet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/36 : Backward learning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/44 : Distributed routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/48 : Routing tree calculation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/488 : using root node determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 : Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 : Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 : Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/324 : in the data link layer [OSI layer 2], e.g. HDLC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/325 : in the network layer [OSI layer 3], e.g. X.25 H04L69/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/326 : in the transport layer [OSI layer 4] H04L69/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/246 : Connectivity information discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/248 : Connectivity information update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0225 : using monitoring of external events, e.g. the presence of a signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/029 : reducing the clock frequency of the controller
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/343 : taking into account loading or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 : Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for routing data in a radio data communication system having one or more host computers, one or more intermediate base stations, and one or more RF terminals organizes the intermediate base stations into an optimal spanning-tree network to control the routing of data to and from the RF terminals and the host computer efficiently and dynamically. Communication between the host computer and the RF terminals is achieved by using the network of intermediate base stations to transmit the data.

Claims

1-29. -29. (canceled)

30. A multi-hop data communication network having RF capability comprising:

a plurality of terminal nodes; and

a plurality of bridging nodes that dynamically create and revise communication pathways between nodes in the network, each of the bridging nodes independently storing and maintaining local information that specifies how communication traffic should flow through that bridging node, and the plurality of bridging nodes, together, providing a specification for the communication pathways;

each of the bridging nodes, using polling messages with a backward learning technique, independently create and maintain locally stored information to specify how communication traffic should flow through that bridging node.

31. The multi-hop data communication network of claim 30, wherein the plurality of bridging nodes dynamically create and revise communication pathways between nodes in the network based, at least in part, on communication link conditions.

32. The multi-hop data communication network of claim 31, wherein the plurality of bridging nodes receive messages from the terminal nodes that are based, at least in part, on the communication link conditions.

33. The multi-hop data communication network of claim 32, wherein the messages from the terminal nodes comprise information that is based, at least in part, on the communication link conditions.

34. The multi-hop data communication network of claim 32, wherein the messages from the terminal nodes are addressed to bridging nodes that are determined based, at least in part, on the communication link conditions.

35. The multi-hop data communication network of claim 31, wherein the plurality of bridging nodes dynamically create and revise communication pathways between nodes in the network based, at least in part, on communication link interference conditions.

36. The multi-hop data communication network of claim 31, wherein the plurality of bridging nodes dynamically create and revise communication pathways between nodes in the network based, at least in part, on communication link RF interference conditions.

37. The multi-hop data communication network of claim 31, wherein the plurality of bridging nodes dynamically create and revise communication pathways between nodes in the network based, at least in part, on communication bandwidth.

38. The multi-hop data communication network of claim 31, wherein the plurality of bridging nodes dynamically create and revise communication pathways between nodes in the network based, at least in part, on communication link data rate.

39. The multi-hop data communication network of claim 31, wherein the plurality of bridging nodes dynamically create and revise communication pathways between nodes in the network based, at least in part, on communication path loading conditions.

40. The multi-hop data communication network of claim 31, wherein the plurality of bridging nodes dynamically create and revise communication pathways between nodes in the network based, at least in part, on node loading conditions.

41. The multi-hop data communication network of claim 31, wherein the plurality of bridging nodes dynamically create and revise communication pathways between nodes in the network based, at least in part, on RF communication link stability.

42. The multi-hop data communication network of claim 31, wherein the plurality of bridging nodes dynamically create and revise communication pathways between nodes in the network based, at least in part, on detection of unattached nodes.

43. The multi-hop data communication network of claim 31, wherein the plurality of bridging nodes dynamically create and revise communication pathways between nodes in the network based, at least in part, on signal strength.

44. The multi-hop data communication network of claim 31, wherein the plurality of bridging nodes dynamically create and revise communication pathways between nodes in the network based, at least in part, on physical communication link type.

45. The multi-hop data communication network of claim 31, wherein the plurality of bridging nodes dynamically create and revise communication pathways between nodes in the network based, at least in part, on physical movement of at least one of the plurality of terminal nodes.

46. The multi-hop data communication network of claim 31, wherein at least one of the bridging nodes monitors communication link conditions.

47. The multi-hop data communication network of claim 31, wherein at least one of the terminal nodes monitors communication link conditions.

48. The multi-hop data communication network of claim 30, wherein the polling message comprises a HELLO message.

49. The multi-hop data communication network of claim 30, wherein the polling message comprises a beacon message.

50. The multi-hop data communication network of claim 30, wherein the bridging nodes transmit polling messages at substantially constant periodic intervals.

51. The multi-hop data communication network of claim 50, wherein the substantially constant periodic intervals comprise a calculated random component.

52. In a bridging node of a multi-hop data communication network having RF capability, a method for managing communication pathways between nodes in the network, the method comprising:

periodically, at substantially regular intervals, transmitting a polling message;

receiving a response message to the polling message from a second node;

in response to the received response message, entering information of the second node in a routing table; and

communicating a message indicative of the response message to a third node.

53. The method of claim 52, wherein the response message comprises an attach request.

54. The method of claim 52, wherein the response message is based, at least in part, on communication link conditions.

55. The method of claim 54, wherein the response message comprises information that is based, at least in part, on communication link conditions.

56. The method of claim 54, wherein the response message is addressed to the bridging node based, at least in part, on communication link conditions.

57. In a multi-hop data communication network having RF capability and a plurality of RF terminal nodes, a bridging node that:

dynamically creates and revises communication pathways between nodes in the network;

independently stores and maintains local information that specifies how communication traffic should flow through the bridging node; and

using polling messages with a backward learning technique, independently creates and maintains locally stored information to specify how communication traffic should flow through the bridging node.

58. The bridging node of claim 57, wherein the polling messages comprise information that is based, at least in part, on communication link conditions.

59. The bridging node of claim 57, wherein using polling messages with a backward learning technique comprises receiving response messages corresponding to the polling messages, wherein the response messages are based, at least in part, on communication link conditions.

60. The bridging node of claim 59, wherein the response messages comprise information that is based, at least in part, on communication link conditions.

61. The bridging node of claim 59, wherein the response messages are addressed to the bridging node based, at least in part, on communication link conditions.