VIDEO NODE FOR WIRELESS MESH NETWORK

• US 20060176834A1
• Filed: 02/06/2006
• Published: 08/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AgileMesh, Inc.
• Original Assignee: AgileMesh, Inc.
• Inventors: Smith, Dennis K., Dickerson, James W., Cromwell, Mark C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,835,331 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/260
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19656 Network used to communicate with a camera, e.g. WAN, LAN, Internet
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/1966 Wireless systems, other than telephone systems, used to communicate with a camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/18 Delegation of network management function, e.g. customer network management [CNM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

Provided are mesh video nodes for wireless mesh networks and methods thereof. A mesh video node includes a wireless interface unit, a multimedia processing unit, an input/output unit, and a control panel interface unit. The mesh video node is configured via a user interface with a communications channel selector and a node selector, where each channel is associated with a predetermined frequency channel, and each node is associated with an internet protocol address. A method of deployment is also provided via a user interface that visually represents link qualities between neighboring nodes.

Claims

1. A wireless interface device that services communications in a wireless mesh data network between a multimedia source and at least one other node comprising:

a wireless interface unit that wirelessly interfaces with the at least one other node;

a multimedia processing unit operably coupled to the wireless interface unit;

an input/output unit operably coupled to the multimedia processing unit, wherein the input/output unit also operably couples to the multimedia source; and

a control panel interface unit operably coupled to the wireless interface unit.

2. The wireless interface device of claim 1 wherein the control panel interface unit is operable to receive a channel selection input and a node selection input.

3. The wireless interface device of claim 2 further comprising a control panel operably coupled to the control panel interface unit, wherein the control panel comprises a channel selector and a node selector.

4. The wireless interface device of claim 3 wherein the control panel further comprises a deployment display providing a representation of link quality between the wireless interface device and the at least one other node.

5. The wireless interface device of claim 1 wherein the input/output unit comprises a video interface.

6. The wireless interface device of claim 5 wherein the video interface comprises an analog to digital video converter.

7. The wireless interface device of claim 5 wherein the input/output unit further comprises an audio interface.

8. The wireless interface device of claim 5 wherein the input/output unit further comprises a camera orientation controller.

9. The wireless interface device of claim 6 wherein the multimedia source is operable to receive inputs from one of an analog video camera, an infrared camera and a microphone.

10. The wireless interface device of claim 1 further comprising an Ethernet interface operably coupled to the wireless interface unit.

11. The wireless interface device of claim 1 further comprising a power management unit operably coupled to the wireless interface unit.

12. The wireless interface device of claim 1 wherein the multimedia processing unit further comprises a store for storing multimedia information.

13. A method for deploying a wireless interface device that services communications in a wireless mesh data network between a multimedia source and at least one other node comprising:

establishing a communications link between the wireless interface device and the at least one other node;

determining a link quality of the communications link; and

outputting the link quality on a display operably coupled to the wireless interface device.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising determining whether the link quality of the communications link satisfies a threshold.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

counting a number of communications links satisfying the threshold; and

displaying the number of communications links satisfying the threshold.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the link quality is output on a display located on the wireless interface device.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein the link quality is output on a display located remotely from the wireless interface device.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein the determining the link quality comprises one of measuring signal strength, stability, transfer rate, bit error rate, and latency.

19. The method of claim 13 further comprising displaying the link quality for a first communications link, wherein the first communications link has the first highest determined link quality between the wireless interface device and the at least one other node.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising displaying the link quality for a second communications link, wherein the second communications link has the second highest determined link quality between the wireless interface device and the at least one other node.

21. A user interface for a wireless mesh data network video node comprising:

a communications channel selector for selecting a communications channel, wherein the communications channel is associated with a predetermined parameter; and

a node selector for selecting a node identifier, wherein the node identifier is associated with an internet protocol address.

22. The user interface of claim 21, wherein the predetermined parameter comprises at least one of a channel number, an encryption key, and a Service Set Identifier (SSID).

23. The user interface of claim 21 wherein the communications channel selector comprises one of a push button, toggle and a rotatable switch.

24. The user interface of claim 21 wherein the predetermined parameter comprises a channel number associated with an IEEE 802.11 standard frequency.

25. The user interface of claim 21 further comprising a display for representing a communications channel selection and a node identification selection.

26. The user interface of claim 22 further comprising a look up table for storing at least one of the predetermined frequency channel, SSID, and the predetermined encryption key associated with each communications channel.

27. The user interface of claim 26 wherein the predetermined frequency channel and the predetermined encryption key associated with each communications channel stored in the look up table is configurable over a network connection.