COMMUNICATION SYSTEM WITH A LOW POWER SPREAD SPECTRUM COMMON MODE SIGNAL PROVIDED BETWEEN MULTIPLE CONTROLLERS TO ENABLE HANDOFF OF NODES

• US 20080014970A1
• Filed: 07/06/2007
• Published: 01/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/1994
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GPNE Corp.
• Original Assignee: GPNE Corp.
• Inventors: Wong, Gabriel, Tsui, Po
• Granted Patent: US 8,086,240 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/458
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/26 Resource reservation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/00 Synchronisation arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/02 Arrangements for increasing efficiency of notification or paging channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0446 Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/002 Transmission of channel access control information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/04 Scheduled access hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/06 using polling
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/02 Hierarchically pre-organised networks, e.g. paging networks, cellular networks, WLAN [Wireless Local Area Network] or WLL [Wireless Local Loop]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/022 One-way selective calling networks, e.g. wide area paging
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/025 with acknowledge back capability
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/022 Selective call receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/185 Selective call encoders for paging networks, e.g. paging centre devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 : in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A communication system is provided for communication between network nodes and communication controllers. The communication controllers transmit common mode signals C₁-C₄ in small communication areas between two controllers to enable mobile nodes to be handed off from one controller to another. A node will use the low power common mode signals C_1-4 that have common frequencies between two controllers during handoff, and then transition to higher power communication frequencies such as f₁-f₄ that are used for transmission of general telephone signal messages after handoff. A single communication controller may use multiple common mode signals to overlapping with other controllers, thus providing a wider spectrum of common mode signals than dedicated telephone signals used after handoff.

Claims

1. A method of operating a wireless data communication network containing a plurality of communication controllers and communication nodes located over a wide geographical area comprising:

transmitting data from communication controllers to communication nodes using at least one common radio signal between pairs of the communication controllers; and

receiving data transmitted from the communication nodes at the communication controllers using the at least one common radio signal,

wherein the at least one common radio signal has a lower power density than a radio signal used to carry telephone signals between a given one of the communication controllers and the communication nodes.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data transmitted from the communication controllers and the data received from the communication nodes over the at least one common radio signal comprises alphanumeric data messages provided in packets.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the telephone signals include voice signals.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein a frequency spectrum of signals transmitted using the at least one common radio signal from a given one of the communication controllers is greater than a spectrum of signals transmitted from the given communication controller carrying the telephone signals.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a radio signal used to carry telephone signals between the given communication controller and the communication nodes comprises dedicated signals provided only from the one given communication controller, while the at least one common radio signal is provided between at least two of the communication controllers.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the dedicated signals comprise four dedicated frequencies f₁-f₄, and wherein the common radio signal comprises four common frequencies C₁-C₄.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

transmitting a clock-aligning signals from at least a given two of the communications controllers on a first one of the common frequencies C₁;

transmitting messages and request grant signals from the given communication controllers to the first communication nodes on a second one of the common frequencies C₂;

receiving messages by the given communication controllers from the first communication nodes on a third one of the common frequencies C₃; and

transmitting requests from the first communication nodes to the given communication controllers on a fourth one of the common frequencies C₄.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

transmitting a clock-aligning signal from the first one of the communications controllers on a first one of the dedicated frequencies f₁;

transmitting messages and request grant signals from the first communication controller to the first communication node on a second one of the dedicated frequencies f₂;

receiving messages by the first communication controller from the first communication nodes on a third one of the dedicated frequencies f₃; and

transmitting requests from the first communication nodes to the first communication controller on a fourth one of the dedicated frequencies f₄.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the telephone signals include voice signals.

9-10. -10. (canceled)

11. A method of operating a wireless data communication network containing a plurality of communication controllers and communication nodes located over a wide geographical area comprising:

transmitting data from communication controllers to communication nodes using at least one common radio signal between pairs of the communication controllers; and

receiving data transmitted from the communication nodes at the communication controllers using the at least one common radio signal,

wherein a frequency spectrum of signals transmitted using the at least one common radio signal from a given one of the communication controllers is greater than a spectrum of signals transmitted from the given communication controller used to carry telephone signals between the communication controllers and the communication nodes.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the data transmitted from the communication controllers and the data received from the communication nodes over the at least one common radio signal comprises alphanumeric data messages provided in packets.

14. A method of operating a wireless data communication network containing a plurality of communication controllers and communication nodes located over a wide geographical area comprising:

transmitting data from communication controllers to communication nodes using at least one common radio signal between pairs of the communication controllers; and

receiving data transmitted from the communication nodes at the communication controllers using the at least one common radio signal,

wherein the at least one common radio signal has a lower power density than a other signals that can be transmitted between a given one of the communication controllers and the communication nodes.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein a frequency spectrum of signals transmitted using the at least one common radio signal is greater than a spectrum of signals transmitted from the given communication controller used to carry the other signals.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

transmitting the request signal from a first one of the nodes to a first one of the communication controllers in at least one timeslot over the at least one common frequency when the first node has data to transmit;

transmitting a grant signal from the first communication controller to the first node over the at least one common frequency in response to the first communication controller receiving the request signal from the first node; and

wherein the at least one timeslot in which the first node may transmit the request signal is one of a series of timeslots where the first node can transmit the request, the series of timeslots occurring repeatedly after transmission of the request signal to the communication controller and continuing without being disabled during operation of the communication controller.