Wireless communication network

• US 20060099954A1
• Filed: 02/16/2005
• Published: 05/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: VenKee Communications LLC (IPValuation Partners, LLC)
• Original Assignee: M/A Com
• Inventors: Martinez, Dennis Michael, Hengeveld, Thomas Andrew, Johnson, Reid Henry, Ericson, Daniel Wayne, Henderson, Gregory Newell
• Granted Patent: US 7,929,484 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/447
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/00 Network planning, e.g. coverage or traffic planning tools; Network deployment, e.g. resource partitioning or cells structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/12 Fixed resource partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/24 Cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/46 in multi hop networks, e.g. wireless relay networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A wireless communication network is provided that includes a plurality of communication cells each defined by at least one communication coverage area and a plurality of access points each corresponding to a different one of the plurality of communication cells. Each access point is configured to communicate on a first frequency with at least one of (i) a subscriber in the at least one communication coverage area in a first communication cell and (ii) a subscriber in a second communication cell. Each access point is further configured to communicate on a second frequency with an access point in a third communication cell.

Claims

1. A wireless communication network comprising:

a plurality of communication cells each defined by at least one communication coverage area; and

a plurality of access points each corresponding to a different one of the plurality of communication cells, each access point configured to communicate on a first frequency with at least one of (i) a subscriber in the at least one communication coverage area in a first communication cell and (ii) a subscriber in a second communication cell, and configured to communicate on a second frequency with an access point in a third communication cell.

2. A wireless communication network in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first communication cell includes a first access point configured to communicate using the first and second frequencies.

3. A wireless communication network in accordance with claim 1, wherein the subscriber in the at least one communication coverage area in the first communication cell comprises a mobile device.

4. A wireless communication network in accordance with claim 1, wherein the subscriber in the second communication cell comprises another access point.

5. A wireless communication network in accordance with claim 1, wherein communication is provided using time division duplexing (TDD).

6. A wireless communication network in accordance with claim 5, wherein the first frequency is used during a first portion of a TDD communication frame and the second frequency is used during a second portion of the TDD communication frame.

7. A wireless communication network in accordance with claim 6, wherein the first and second portions comprise first and second half-frames of the TDD communication frame.

8. A wireless communication network in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first frequency is configured to provide a bi-directional out-bound communication link and the second frequency is configured to provide a bi-directional in-bound communication link.

9. A wireless communication network in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first frequency comprises a base station frequency for communicating to a subscriber in one of a plurality of communication cells and the second frequency comprises a subscriber frequency for a base station of one access point to communicate with another base station in an access point in a different communication cell.

10. A wireless communication network in accordance with claim 1, wherein only one of (i) transmitting and (ii) receiving are provided by the first and second frequencies during a communication time frame.

11. A wireless communication network in accordance with claim 1, wherein the first and second frequencies are dynamically configurable.

12. A wireless communication network in accordance with claim 11, wherein the first and second frequencies are dynamically configurable based on one of an access point failure, bandwidth usage, communication traffic flow, and communication priority.

13. A wireless communication network in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least one of the access points comprises a wired connection to a network.

14. A wireless communication network in accordance with claim 13, wherein the access points are configured to provide a multi-hop communication link between the subscriber in the at least one communication coverage area and the access point having the wired connection.

15. A wireless communication network in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least one of (i) the first and second communication cells (ii) the first and third communication cells and (iii) the second and third communication cells are adjacent communication cells.

16. A wireless communication network in accordance with claim 1, wherein each of the communication cells comprises a plurality of communication coverage areas configured in a tessellated configuration having a plurality of square communication coverage areas.

17. A wireless network architecture comprising:

a plurality of communication cells each including at least one communication coverage area for communicating with a subscriber within the at least one communication coverage area; and

a plurality of access points each corresponding to a different one of the plurality of communication cells, each of the plurality of access points configured to operate at a first frequency in a set of frequencies for communicating at least with one of (i) the subscriber within the at least one communication coverage area within the communication cell and (ii) a first access point in another communication cell, and configured to operate at a second frequency in the set of frequencies and distinct from the first frequency for communicating with a second access point in another communication cell different than the communication cell having the first access point.

18. A wireless network architecture according to claim 17, wherein communication is provided by time division duplexing (TDD) and each of the first and second frequencies is configured to be used in a different portion of a TDD communication frame.

19. A wireless network architecture according to claim 17, wherein the first and second frequencies are dynamically configurable.

20. A method for wirelessly communicating in a network, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of communication cells each defined by at least one communication coverage area;

configuring a plurality of access points corresponding to the plurality of communication cells to communicate on a first frequency with at least one of (i) a subscriber in the at least one communication coverage area and (ii) an access point in a first different communication cell; and

configuring the plurality of access points to communicate on a second frequency with another access point in a second different communication cell, the communication provided by time division duplexing.