PAIRING WIRELESS DEVICES OF A NETWORK USING RELATIVE GAIN ARRAYS

• US 20090033513A1
• Filed: 07/28/2008
• Published: 02/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tyco Fire & Security GmbH (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Original Assignee: Johnson Controls Technology Company (Johnson Controls International plc)
• Inventors: Botic, James S., Salsbury, Timothy I.
• Granted Patent: US 8,325,637 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/825.200
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A method for pairing a first wireless device with a second wireless device includes gathering a first wireless communications characteristic about communications between the first wireless device and the second wireless device. The method further includes gathering second wireless communications characteristics about communications between the first wireless device and at least one wireless device other than the second wireless device. The method further includes generating a matrix using the first and second wireless communications characteristics and generating a relative gain array from the matrix and computing the pairing between the first wireless device and the second wireless device using the generated relative gain array. The method further includes configuring the first wireless device and/or the second wireless device based on the computed pairing.

Claims

1. A method for pairing a first wireless device with a second wireless device, comprising:

gathering a first wireless communications characteristic about communications between the first wireless device and the second wireless device;

gathering second wireless communications characteristics about communications between the first wireless device and at least one wireless device other than the second wireless device;

generating a matrix using the first and second wireless communications characteristics;

generating a relative gain array from the matrix;

computing the pairing between the first wireless device and the second wireless device using the generated relative gain array; and

configuring at least one of the first wireless device and the second wireless device based on the computed pairing.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second wireless communications characteristic are signal strength measurements.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein generating the matrix using the first and second wireless communications characteristics comprises:

creating a signal strength matrix;

calculating power level values for each of the values in the signal strength matrix; and

populating the matrix with the power level values.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein calculating power level values includes utilizing a decibel-to-power level conversion formula.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein computing the pairing between the first wireless device and the second wireless device using the generated relative gain array includes selecting device-to-device pairs having a relative gain array value closest to one.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second wireless communications characteristics are indicia of signal strength measurements and are adjusted based on one of a signal range and a noise level.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second wireless communications characteristics are a computed indicia of signal quality determined by a weighting function.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring at least one of the first wireless device and the second wireless device based on the computed pairing comprises storing the address of the second wireless device in a memory device of the first wireless device or storing the address of the first wireless device in a memory device of the second wireless device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the first wireless device and/or the second wireless device based on the computed pairing comprises storing the pairing in a memory device of a controller.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a graphical representation of the relative gain array and indicia of the computed pairing on a computer display.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first wireless device is a sensor device for a building automation system.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the second wireless device is a controller for a building automation system and is configured to control sensor devices such as the first wireless devices.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the wireless devices other than the second wireless device and the first wireless device are building automation system devices.

14. A controller for pairing a first wireless device with a second wireless device, the controller comprising:

a communications interface;

a processing circuit configured to use the communications interface to gather a first wireless communications characteristic about communications between the first wireless device and the second wireless device and configured to gather a second wireless communications characteristic about communications between the first wireless device and wireless devices other than the second wireless device, the processing circuit being configured to generate a matrix using the first and second wireless communications characteristics, the processing circuit configured to use the matrix to generate a relative gain array and to compute the pairing between the first wireless device and the second wireless device using the generated relative gain array, and wherein the processing circuit is configured to cause the pairing to be sent to at least one of a memory device local to the controller, the first wireless device via the communications interface, and the second wireless device via the communications interface.

15. The controller of claim 14, wherein the processing circuit is configured to generate the matrix using the first and second wireless communications characteristics by creating a signal strength matrix based on the gathered wireless communications characteristics, the processing circuit also configured to calculate power levels for values in the signal strength matrix, and wherein the processing circuit is configured to populate the matrix with the power level values.

16. The controller of claim 15, wherein the wireless communications characteristic and the wireless communications characteristics is at least one of a signal strength measurement and a value calculated based on a signal strength measurement;

and

wherein the communications interface one of a wired communications interface and a wireless communications interface.

17. The controller of claim 15, wherein the processing circuit is configured to utilize a decibel-to-power level conversion formula to calculate the power levels for values in the signal strength matrix.

18. The controller of claim 14, wherein computing the pairing between the first wireless device and the second wireless device using the generated relative gain array includes selecting device-to-device pairs having a relative gain array value closest to one.

19. A computer readable medium storing program code for causing a controller to pair nodes of a network, the computer readable medium comprising:

program code for gathering wireless communications characteristics of communications between the nodes of the network;

program code for generating a relative gain array of the wireless communications characteristics of the communications between the nodes of the network;

program code for making pairing determinations using the generated relative gain array; and

program code for configuring the nodes of the network using the pairing determinations.

20. A server computer configured to provide program code to a client computer, the program code for causing the client computer to pair nodes of a network, the server computer comprising:

a communications interface for communicating with the client computer; and

a processing circuit for accessing a memory device storing the program code, the program code comprising;

program code for gathering wireless communications characteristics of communications between the nodes of the network,

program code for generating a relative gain array of the wireless communications characteristics of the communications between the nodes of the network,

program code for making pairing determinations using the generated relative gain array, and

program code for configuring the nodes of the network using the pairing determinations.