WIRELESS LOCAL AREA NETWORK SYSTEM AND RECEIVER ADAPTED FOR USE THEREOF AND ASSOCIATED METHOD

• US 20070280182A1
• Filed: 04/05/2007
• Published: 12/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zebra Technologies Corporation
• Original Assignee: Wherenet Corporation (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Wisherd, David S., Wohl, Michael A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,362,976 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/406 with more than one transmission mode, e.g. analog and digital modes

Abstract

A wireless local area network (WLAN) includes a server and receiver in communication with the server as a network client. A plurality of radio frequency (RF) front-end circuits are each configured for receiving wireless signals from mobile nodes within the WLAN along an allocated channel specific for a front-end circuit. A plurality of baseband processors each specific to an allocated channel are connected to a respective front-end circuit for the allocated channel and capture a desired signal specific to the allocated channel. A system controller is connected to each baseband processor for configuring each baseband processor and processing the desired signal and obtaining message data and signal metrics for each allocated channel that are communicated to the server.

Claims

1. A wireless local area network (WLAN) comprising:

a server;

a receiver in communication with said server as a network client, and comprising,

a plurality of radio frequency (RF) front-end circuits each configured for receiving wireless signals from mobile nodes within the WLAN along an allocated channel and each specific for a front-end circuit;

a plurality of baseband processors each specific to an allocated channel and connected to a respective front end circuit for the allocated channel for capturing a desired signal specific to the allocated channel; and

a system controller connected to each baseband processor for configuring each baseband processor and processing the desired signal and obtaining message data and signal metrics for each allocated channel that are communicated to the server.

2. The WLAN according to claim 1, and further comprising a signal waveform detector circuit at each allocated channel for detecting a signal waveform on an allocated channel and generating a trigger waveform indicative of modulation type, data format and time-of-arrival (TOA) information of a desired signal to be captured.

3. The WLAN according to claim 1, and further comprising a TOA processor at each allocated channel for receiving TOA information and generating a time stamp for the desired signal.

4. The WLAN according to claim 3, wherein each TOA processor is operative for processing TOA information when said receiver is part of a geometric array of networked nodes and determining first-to-arrive signals based on a common network timing signal and conducting differentiation of the first-to-arrive signals to locate a desired wireless node.

5. The WLAN according to claim 1, and further comprising a media access control (MAC) device connected between said system controller and the server.

6. The WLAN according to claim 1, and further comprising a wireless network connection between said server and said receiver.

7. The WLAN according to claim 1, and further comprising a wired network connection between said server and said receiver.

8. The WLAN according to claim 1, and further comprising diversity antennas connected to the RF front-end circuits and providing spatial diversity.

9. The WLAN according to claim 1, wherein said system controller is operative for controlling signal selection and RF signal based selection of allocated channels.

10. The WLAN according to claim 9, and further comprising a wireless access point connected to said receiver wherein allocated channels are selected for said wireless access point.

11. The WLAN according to claim 10, and further comprising a multiplexer switch connected between said receiver and said wireless access point for selectively switching signals between said receiver and said wireless access point.

12. A receiver operative as a client in a wireless local area network (WLAN), comprising:

a plurality of radio frequency (RF) front-end circuits each configured for receiving wireless signals from mobile nodes within the WLAN along an allocated channel specific for a front-end circuit;

a plurality of baseband processors each specific to an allocated channel and connected to a respective front end circuit for the allocated channel for capturing a desired signal specific to the allocated channel; and

a system controller connected to each baseband processor for configuring each baseband processor and processing the desired signal and obtaining message data and signal metrics for each allocated channel that are communicated outbound from the receiver.

13. The receiver according to claim 12, and further comprising a signal waveform detector circuit at each allocated channel for detecting a signal waveform on the allocated channel and generating a trigger waveform indicative of modulation type, data format and time-of-arrival (TOA) information of a desired signal to be captured.

14. The receiver according to claim 12, and further comprising a TOA processor at each allocated channel for receiving TOA information and generating a time stamp for the desired signal received in an allocated channel.

15. The receiver according to claim 14, wherein each TOA processor is operative for processing TOA information when said receiver is part of a geometric array of networked nodes and determining first-to-arrive signals based on a common network timing signal and conducting differentiation of the first-to-arrive signals to locate a desired wireless node.

16. The receiver according to claim 12, and further comprising a media access control (MAC) device connected between said system controller and a server.

17. The receiver according to claim 12, and further comprising a wireless network connection between a server and said receiver.

18. The receiver according to claim 12, and further comprising a wired network connection between a server and said receiver.

19. The receiver according to claim 12, and further comprising diversity antennas connected to the RF front-end circuits and providing spatial diversity.

20. The receiver according to claim 12, wherein said system controller is operative for controlling signal selection and RF signal based selection of allocated channels.

21. The receiver according to claim 20, and further comprising a wireless access point connected to said receiver wherein allocated channels are selected for said wireless access point.

22. The receiver according to claim 21, and further comprising a multiplexer switch connected between said receiver and said wireless access point for selectively switching signals between said receiver and wireless access point.

23. A method of communicating within a wireless local area network (WLAN), comprising:

receiving at a receiver wireless signals transmitted from mobile nodes within the WLAN along a plurality of allocated channels;

detecting baseband signals on each allocated channel within the receiver;

capturing a desired signal within each allocated channel;

processing the desired signal within each allocated channel to obtain message data and signal metrics for each allocated channel; and

transmitting the message data and signal metrics to a WLAN server.

24. The method according to claim 23, which further comprises transmitting the message data and signal metrics through a media access control (MAC) device connected between the receiver and a WLAN server.

25. The method according to claim 23, which further comprises receiving TOA information and generating a time stamp for a desired signal.

26. The method according to claim 25, which further comprises processing TOA information and determining a first-to-arrive signal based on a common timing signal and conducting differentiation of the first-to-arrive signals to locate a desired wireless node.

27. The method according to claim 23, which further comprises controlling signal selection into dual RF channels based on RF signal detection.

28. The method according to claim 27, which further comprises transmitting the message data and signal metrics through a wireless access point operative with the receiver.