Robust communication system

• US 20060072491A1
• Filed: 11/07/2003
• Published: 04/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Simons, Paul R
• Application Number:
  US10/535,290
• Publication Number:
  US 20060072491A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0219 where the power saving management affects multiple terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/52 based on load
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/22 with access to wired networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A primary station (10) for use in a communication system is described, the system operating according to a predetermined protocol. The primary station is capable of managing a plurality of piconets having secondary stations (12a, b, c) which communicate with the primary station on individual logical radio channels. In particular, the capacity available on the channels is monitored (20,25) and the channels in use controlled thereby enabling the secondary stations to communicate even in periods of heavy use. The primary station is suitable for application as a wireless access point in public spaces (airports, train stations) and in business or home scenarios where robust low power multiple radio networks are required.

Claims

1. A method of operating a communication system comprising a primary station (10) and a plurality of secondary stations (12a,12b,12c), the method comprising:

the primary station (10) exchanging radio messages (38) with the secondary stations over a number of radio channels (14a,14b) in accordance with a predetermined protocol (36),

monitoring the capacity of said channels; and

controlling the channel used by at least one enquiring secondary station (12a) at least in part in dependence on said monitored capacity.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the monitoring of channel capacity comprises:

comparing the number of secondary stations (12a,12b,12c) registered per channel (14a,14b) against a predetermined threshold, and

blocking registration for those channels having a number of secondary stations registered per channel equal to or above the predetermined threshold.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the monitored channel (14b) having the lowest number of registered secondary stations (12c) is used to register an enquiring secondary station.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein beacon signals (40) are transmitted on each radio channel (14a,14b), and wherein the capacity of each channel is monitored by monitoring the number of time slots (42) available per frame time for that channel.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the enquiring secondary station requesting guaranteed time slots (46) is allocated a radio channel having available unused timeslots for said request.

11. A computer program (25) comprising code that when executed on a programmable device forming a primary station causes it to carry out the steps of claim 1.

12. A computer program (25) comprising code that when executed on a computer linked to a primary station causes it to carry out the steps of claim 1.

13. A computer program (25) on a carrier (24) carrying code that when executed on a programmable device forming a primary station causes it to carry out the steps of claim 1.

14. A computer program (25) on a carrier 24 carrying code that when executed on a computer linked to a primary station causes it to carry out the steps of claim 1.

6. A communication system comprising a primary station (10) and a plurality of secondary stations (12a,12b,12c), wherein the primary station (10) has means (29) for exchanging radio messages (38) with the secondary stations over a number of radio channels in accordance with a predetermined protocol, means (20,27) for monitoring the capacity of said channels and means (20,25,27) for controlling the channel used by at least one enquiring secondary station at least in part in dependence on said monitored capacity.

7. A primary station (10) for use in a communications system comprising a plurality of secondary stations, wherein the primary station has means (29) for exchanging radio messages (38) with the secondary stations over a number of radio channels in accordance with a predetermined protocol, means (20,27) for monitoring the capacity of said channels and means (20,25,27) for controlling the channel used by at least one enquiring secondary station at least in part in dependence on said monitored capacity.

8. A primary station as claimed in claim 7, wherein the means for exchanging radio messages comprises a communication module (29) having a plurality of transceivers (29a,29b,29c) coupled (35,27) to said monitoring and control means (20), and wherein each transceiver operates a single radio channel.

9. A primary station as claimed in claim 7 or claim 8, wherein the monitoring means (20) monitors the available timeslots (42) between periodic beacon signals (40) transmitted by transceivers on respective channels, and wherein the control means (20) allocates a radio channel having available unused timeslots to the at least one enquiring secondary station.

10. A primary station (10) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the predetermined protocol is the ZigBee radio protocol.