Spread spectrum wireless communication and monitoring arrangement and method

• US 20070066311A1
• Filed: 03/24/2006
• Published: 03/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RSI Video Technologies Incorporated (Resideo Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rsialarm Incorporated (Resideo Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jentoft, Keith, Reibel, Jean-Michel
• Granted Patent: US 8,155,105 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/445
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method and system for wireless monitoring is implemented in a variety of embodiments. In one such embodiment, a monitoring system method is implemented for, wireless communication between a central device and monitoring devices. Each of the devices includes a wireless communication circuit to effect wireless communications. Power consumption from a limited power source is reduced at least one of the wireless communication circuits based upon a communications time interval and a selected channel for communication between the central device and a monitor device to effect wireless communications between the central device and the monitor device.

Claims

1. A monitoring system, comprising:

a central device and monitoring devices having wireless communication therebetween, each of the devices including a wireless communication circuit to effect wireless communications between the central device and the monitoring devices,

the central device and at least one of the monitoring devices to effect wireless communications therebetween by using communication intervals to define communication therebetween and a selected one of multiple frequencies for communicating between the central device and said at least one monitoring device;

the central device and said at least one monitoring device communicating with one another based on the communication intervals and at least said selected one of the multiple frequencies;

at least one of the central device and said at least one monitoring device reducing power consumption therein as a function of the communication intervals and said selected one of the multiple frequencies; and

wherein said at least one of the devices relies on a limited power source and the central device collects monitoring data from the monitoring devices while mitigating power consumption from the limited power source.

2. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the central device and the monitoring devices determine the communication intervals based upon local clocks of the central device and the monitoring devices.

3. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein one of the central device and said at least one monitoring device begins transmitting in response to a sequence of frequencies containing said multiple frequencies, said selected one of the multiple frequencies and the communication intervals.

4. The monitoring system of claim 3, wherein one device of the central device and the monitoring devices activates the wireless communication circuit of said device as a function of the communication intervals.

5. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein:

the multiple frequencies have a set number of frequencies;

and the wireless communications between the devices is effected using at least short messages having at least a short data frame and long packets having a long data frame, and wherein long packet contains a total number of frames being an integer multiple of the set number of frequencies.

6. The monitoring system of claim 5, wherein the wireless communications are effected for long packets by,

said at least one monitoring device transmitting a ready message using one or more short messages,

the central device transmitting a start message using one or more short messages and in response to receiving the ready message, and

said at least one monitoring device sending long packets continuously during allowed transmission times until the message is complete.

7. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein said at least one monitoring device ceases sending long packets during a reserved time period and resumes sending long packets after the reserved time period.

8. The monitoring system of claim 7, wherein the central device transmits a lost frame indication containing a frame number and a packet number using one or more short messages.

9. The monitoring system of claim 3, wherein said sequence of frequencies is selected from a plurality of sequences of frequencies by the central device and information related to said sequence of frequencies is communicated to the monitoring devices during installation of the monitoring system.

10. The monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring devices shift the transmission time of a message in response to the priority of the message.

11. The monitoring system of claim 1, further comprising:

a second sensor to sense movement;

an image-capture device to capture images in response to an event indication from the event sensor and to a movement indication from the second sensor; and

a base unit integrating a direction of view of the second sensor and of the image-capture device and thereby directing the second sensor to sense in the target area in which the images are captured by the image-capture device.

12. The monitoring system of claim 11, wherein the intrusion sensor generates a signal that arms the second sensor in response to sensing the intrusion.

13. The monitoring system of claim 11, further including an electronic circuit to operate the second sensor to control the power consumption of the second sensor and the image-capture device and to process the captured images.

14. The monitoring system of claim 13, further including a housing to contain the base unit, the power supply, the electronic circuit, the second sensor and the image-capture device.

15. The monitoring system of claim 11, further including a housing to contain the base unit, the second sensor and the image-capture device.

16. For use in a monitoring system, a method for wireless communication between a central device and monitoring devices, each of the devices including a wireless communication circuit to effect wireless communications between the central device and the monitoring devices, the method comprising:

to effect wireless communications between the central device and at least one of the monitoring devices, providing

communication intervals to define communication therebetween, and

a selected one of multiple frequencies for communicating between the central device and said at least one monitoring device;

communicating between the central device and said at least one monitoring device based on the communication intervals and at least said selected one of the multiple frequencies; and

reducing power consumption in at least one of the central device and said at least one monitoring device as a function of the communication intervals and said selected one of the multiple frequencies; and

wherein said at least one of the devices relies on a limited power source and the central device collects monitoring data from the monitoring devices while mitigating power consumption from the limited power source.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the reducing power consumption also a function of a sequence of the multiple frequencies and a second selected one of the multiple frequencies

18. The method of claim 17, further including the step of communicating, between the central device and the monitoring devices, data representing a current time index that is used as a reference for establishing communication timings between the devices.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein said selected one of the multiple frequencies corresponds an initial frequency for receiving wireless communications from said at least one monitoring device.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the effecting wireless communications between the central device and the monitoring devices is implemented using frequency-hopping spread spectrum.

21. The method of claim 20, further including the step of synchronizing the central device and monitoring devices using periodic wireless communications and a local clock circuit for each of the central device and monitoring devices.

22. The method of claim 16, further including the steps of:

calculating a transmission anticipation time from,

a sequence of the multiple frequencies used for communications between the central device and monitoring devices,

the number of frequencies in the sequence between said selected one of the multiple frequencies and a current transmission frequency of the multiple frequencies,

the dwell time of the central device and monitoring devices, and

the blank time of the central device and monitoring devices; and

transmitting in response to the transmission anticipation time and an expected activation time of the central device.

23. The method of claim 16, further including the step of transmitting messages between the devices wherein the messages use a short frame and a long frame.

25. The method of claim 18 further including the steps of:

detecting a lost of synchronization between the central device and said at least one of the monitoring devices; and

increasing a receive activation time of one of the devices in response to the detection.

24. The method of claim 24, further including the step of transmitting the long frames in packets that contain a number of frames that is an integer multiple of the number of different frequencies of said multiple frequencies.

26. For use in a monitoring system, a method for bidirectional wireless communication between a central device and monitoring devices, each of the devices including a wireless communication circuit to effect wireless communications between the central device and the monitoring devices, the method comprising:

wirelessly sending synchronization information between the central device and at least one of the monitoring devices;

reducing the power consumption of at least one of the wireless communication circuits by coordinating a communications time interval and a selected channel for communication between the central device and said at least one of the monitoring devices to effect wireless communications between the central and said at least one of the monitoring devices; and

wherein the selected channel is one of a sequence of channels used for wireless communications between the central device and the monitoring devices and said at least one of the devices relies on a limited power source and the central device collects monitoring data from the monitoring devices while mitigating power consumption from the limited power source.