Wireless transceiver management system and method

• US 20080266081A1
• Filed: 04/26/2007
• Published: 10/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ademco Inc. (Resideo Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Crisp, Martin L., D'Agostino, Paul P., MacKenzie, Norman L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,605,697 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/539.21
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/004 Alarm propagated along alternative communication path or using alternative communication medium according to a hierarchy of available ways to communicate, e.g. if Wi-Fi not available use GSM
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/10 using wireless transmission systems G08B25/009 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/12 based on transmission quality or channel quality

Abstract

A method of managing data communications in a wireless security system. A message is transmitted from a fixed location security device and received by at least two transceivers. Each transceiver analyzes the received message to generate RSSI data. A digital message including the RSSI data is sent from each transceiver via a wired connection to a control panel, which analyzes the RSSI data from each transceiver to determine which transceiver generated the highest RSSI. The control panel then designates data exchange responsibility to the transceiver with the highest RSSI. That transceiver will have responsibility for acknowledging messages from that security device and send data to that security device from the control panel. A transceiver will be allocated to a portable security device if it is the first to receive the wireless message rather than on RSSI data.

Claims

1. A method of managing data communications in a wireless security system, comprising the steps of:

a) transmitting a wireless message from a wireless security device;

b) receiving the wireless message by at least two wireless transceivers;

c) for each wireless transceiver that receives said wireless message;

i) analyzing the received wireless message to generate received signal strength indication data;

ii) sending, via a wired connection to a control panel, a digital data message comprising at least some data from said received wireless message and said received signal strength indication data;

d) the control panel receiving each digital data message sent from the wireless transceivers and analyzing the received signal strength indication data from each received digital data message to determine which wireless transceiver generated the highest received signal strength indication data;

e) designating data exchange responsibility to the wireless transceiver determined to have generated the highest received signal strength indication data; and

f) indicating, to the wireless transceiver determined to have generated the highest received signal strength indication data, that said wireless transceiver has been designated with data exchange responsibility with said wireless security device.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of only the designated wireless transceiver transmitting an acknowledgement message to said wireless security device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein only the designated wireless transceiver transmits an acknowledgement message to said wireless security device in response to each subsequent wireless message successfully received from said wireless security device.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of

enabling an override of the wireless transceiver determined to have generated the highest received signal strength indication data with a preselected wireless transceiver;

and

indicating, to the preselected wireless transceiver, that said wireless transceiver has been designated with data exchange responsibility with said wireless security device.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising the step of disabling the override in the event that the control panel no longer receives any digital data messages sent from the preselected wireless transceiver.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of storing a plurality of data records in memory, each record indicating a mapping of data exchange responsibility between wireless transceivers and associated wireless security devices.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said memory further comprises received signal strength indication data for each wireless transceiver and associated wireless security devices.

12. The security system of claim 7 wherein said memory further comprises received signal strength indication data for each wireless transceiver and associated wireless security device.

4. The method of claim wherein steps (b) through (f) are repeated for each of a plurality of subsequent wireless messages transmitted from the wireless security device;

and in the event that the wireless transceiver determined to have generated the highest received signal strength indication data is different from a previous wireless transceiver, then

indicating, to the previous wireless transceiver that said previous wireless transceiver no longer has been designated with data exchange responsibility with said wireless security device.

9. A security system comprising:

a) a wireless security device comprising wireless message transmission circuitry and a wireless receiver;

b) a plurality of wireless transceivers, each comprising;

(i) a wireless receiver and a wireless transmitter configured to wirelessly communicate with the wireless security device;

(ii) a received signal strength indication measurement circuit configured to analyze a wireless message received from the wireless security device and generate received signal strength indication data for said wireless security device;

(iii) a transmitter and receiver circuit configured to interface with a wired connection and to send and receive digital data messages over said wired connection, wherein at least some of said digital data messages transmitted comprises at least some data from said wireless message and the received signal strength indication data generated by said received signal strength indication measurement circuit;

c) a control panel interconnected to each of said plurality of wireless transceivers via a wired connection;

said control panel comprising;

(i) a transmitter and receiver circuit configured to interface with said wired connection and to send and receive digital data messages over said wired connection;

(ii) processing circuitry configured to

analyze the received signal strength indication data from a plurality of digital data messages received from more than one wireless transceiver;

determine which wireless transceiver generated the highest received signal strength indication data;

designate data exchange responsibility to the wireless transceiver determined to have generated the highest received signal strength indication data; and

transmit, to the wireless transceiver determined to have generated the highest received signal strength indication data, a digital data message indicating that that said wireless transceiver has been designated with data exchange responsibility with said wireless security device.

10. The security system of claim 9, wherein each of said plurality of wireless transceivers further comprise:

a memory for storing an indication that said wireless transceiver has been designated with data exchange responsibility with said wireless security device; and

processing circuitry configured to cause the wireless transceiver to transmit an acknowledgement message to said wireless security device only if the memory has stored therein an indication that said wireless transceiver has been designated with data exchange responsibility with said wireless security device.

11. The security system of claim 9 further comprising a memory for storing a plurality of data records, each record indicating a mapping of data exchange responsibility between the wireless security device and the designated wireless transceiver.

13. A method of managing data communications in a wireless security system, comprising the steps of:

a) transmitting a wireless message from a portable wireless security device;

b) receiving the wireless message by a plurality of wireless transceivers;

c) for each wireless transceiver that receives said wireless message;

sending, via a wired connection to a control panel, a digital data message comprising at least some data from said received wireless message;

d) the control panel receiving each digital data message sent from the wireless transceivers and determining which wireless transceiver was the first wireless transceiver to have sent the digital data message;

e) designating data exchange responsibility to the wireless transceiver determined to have been the first wireless transceiver to have sent the digital data message; and

f) indicating, to the wireless transceiver determined to have been the first wireless transceiver to have sent the digital data message, that said wireless transceiver has been designated with data exchange responsibility with said wireless security device.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising the steps of:

g) initiating a timeout clock;

h) when said timeout clock reaches a predetermined time, then

indicating to the designated wireless transceiver that said designated wireless transceiver no longer has been designated with data exchange responsibility with said wireless security device.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising repeating steps (a) through (f) after said timeout clock has reached the predetermined time.

16. The method of claim 13 further comprising the steps of:

g) initiating a message counter;

h) incrementing said message counter for each time a message is received from a portable wireless security device;

i) when said message counter reaches a predetermined count, then

indicating to the designated wireless transceiver that said designated wireless transceiver no longer has been designated with data exchange responsibility with said wireless security device.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising repeating steps (a) through (f) after said message counter has reached the predetermined count.

18. A security system comprising:

a) a portable wireless security device comprising wireless message transmission circuitry and a wireless receiver;

b) a plurality of wireless transceivers, each comprising;

(i) a wireless receiver and a wireless transmitter configured to wirelessly communicate with said wireless security device;

(ii) a transmitter and receiver circuit configured to interface with a wired connection and to send and receive digital data messages over said wired connection, wherein at least some of said digital data messages transmitted comprises at least some data from said wireless message;

c) a control panel interconnected to each of said plurality of wireless transceivers via a wired connection;

said control panel comprising;

(i) a transmitter and receiver circuit configured to interface with said wired connection and to send and receive digital data messages over said wired connection;

(ii) processing circuitry configured to

determine which wireless transceiver was the first to have sent the digital message;

designate data exchange responsibility to the wireless transceiver determined to have been the first wireless transceiver to have sent the digital message; and

transmit, to the wireless transceiver determined to have been the first wireless transceiver to have sent the digital message, a digital data message indicating that that said wireless transceiver has been designated with data exchange responsibility with said wireless security device.

19. The security system of claim 18 further comprising a memory for storing a plurality of data records, each record indicating a mapping of data exchange responsibility between the wireless security device and the designated wireless transceiver.