SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR A MULTIPLE HOP WIRELESS NETWORK

• US 20090232049A1
• Filed: 06/04/2008
• Published: 09/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Singh, Harkirat, Ngo, Chiu, Qin, Xiangping
• Granted Patent: US 8,130,737 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A system and method for wireless communication over a multi-hop network are disclosed. One embodiment of the system includes an access point and a plurality of wireless devices. Each of the access point and the plurality of wireless devices includes a high-rate module to send or receive data over a high-rate wireless channel having a first frequency; and a low-rate module to send or receive one or more control signals over a low-rate wireless channel having a second frequency lower than the first frequency. The low-rate modules of the wireless devices are configured to send information for establishing a multi-hop data route to the access point via the low-rate wireless channel. The access point is further configured to broadcast the information over the multi-hop wireless network via the low-rate wireless channel. This configuration efficiently disseminates the information over the network.

Claims

1. A wireless device for data transmission, the device comprising:

a transmitter configured to wirelessly communicate with an access point and a plurality of other wireless devices, wherein the access point, the wireless device, and the plurality of other wireless devices form at least part of a multi-hop wireless network, wherein the transmitter comprises;

a first module configured to send data and/or one or more control messages over a first wireless channel having a first frequency and a first range; and

a second module configured to send one or more control signals over a second wireless channel having a second frequency lower than the first frequency, the second wireless channel having a second range greater than the first range,

wherein the second module is further configured to send network information to the access point via the second wireless channel, the information including a request for broadcasting at least part of the information over the multi-hop wireless network.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the first module is configured to send the data and/or the control messages using a first antenna system that is capable of directional transmission, and wherein the second module is configured to send the control signals and/or the information using a second antenna system that is capable of omni-directional and/or directional transmission.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the second antenna system is configured to provide omni-directional transmission as a default and to optionally provide directional transmission.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the first frequency is about 6 GHz or greater.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the second frequency is about 6 GHz or lower.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the second frequency is about 2.4 GHz or about 5 GHz.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the first module is further configured to generate the information and send the information to the second module.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the second module is further configured to receive an acknowledgment signal over the second wireless channel, the acknowledgment signal being indicative of the completion of broadcasting the information by the access point, and wherein the second module is further configured to notify the first module of the completion of broadcasting the information.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the information comprises at least part of a network map and/or an update to the network map.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the network map comprises at least one of the location, identification, channel condition, or availability of at least one of the wireless devices spatially neighboring the wireless device in the network.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the second module is further configured to send data over the second wireless channel.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the second module is configured to send the data using an antenna system that is capable of onmi-directional and/or directional transmission.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the first module is configured to send uncompressed data over the first wireless channel, and wherein the second module is configured to send at least partially compressed data over the second wireless channel.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the data comprises at least one of audio data and video data.

15. A wireless device for data transmission, the device comprising:

a receiver configured to wirelessly communicate with an access point and a plurality of other wireless devices, wherein the access point, the wireless device, and the plurality of other wireless devices form at least part of a multi-hop wireless network, wherein the receiver comprises;

a first module configured to receive data and/or one or more control messages over a first wireless channel having a first frequency and a first range; and

a second module configured to receive one or more control signals over a second wireless channel having a second frequency lower than the first frequency, the second wireless channel having a second range greater than the first range,

wherein the second module is further configured to receive information on the multi-hop wireless network from the access point via the second wireless channel.

16. An access point device for wireless data communication, the access point device being configured to wirelessly communicate with a plurality of wireless devices, wherein the access point and the plurality of wireless devices form at least part of a multi-hop wireless network, the access point device comprising:

a first module configured to send or receive data and/or one or more control messages over a first wireless channel having a first frequency and a first range; and

a second module configured to send or receive one or more control signals over a second wireless channel having a second frequency lower than the first frequency, the second wireless channel having a second range greater than the first range,

wherein the second module is further configured to receive network information from one of the wireless devices via the second wireless channel,

wherein the second module is further configured to broadcast the information over the multi-hop wireless network via the second wireless channel.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the access point is further configured to exchange data with another access point of another network via a wired or wireless backbone.

18. The device of claim 16, wherein the first module is configured to send or receive the data and/or the control messages using a first antenna system that is capable of directional transmission, wherein the second module is configured to send or receive the control signals and/or the information using a second antenna system that is capable of omni-directional and/or directional transmission, and wherein the second module is further configured to broadcast the information using the second antenna system.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein the second antenna system is configured to provide omni-directional transmission as a default and to optionally provide directional transmission.

20. The device of claim 16, wherein the first frequency is about 6 GHz or greater, and wherein the second frequency is about 6 GHz or lower.

21. The device of claim 16, wherein the information comprises at least part of a network map and/or an update to the network map.

22. The device of claim 21, wherein the network map comprises at least one of the location, ID, channel condition or availability of at least one of the wireless devices.

23. The device of claim 21, wherein the plurality of wireless devices comprise first to fourth wireless devices,

wherein the access point is further configured to schedule a first data transmission over a third wireless channel between the first and second wireless devices during a first transmission period, and a second data transmission over a fourth wireless channel between the third and fourth wireless devices during a second transmission period, based at least partly on the network map.

wherein each of the third and fourth wireless channels is directional and has the same frequency as the first frequency,

wherein the third and fourth wireless channels are spatially separated from each other, and

wherein the first and second transmission periods are at least partially overlapping with each other.

24. The device of claim 16, wherein the second module is further configured to send the one of the wireless devices an acknowledgment signal after completing broadcasting the information.

25. A method of wireless communication, the method comprising:

generating network information, by a first module of a wireless device, the first module being configured to process data and/or one or more control messages for transmission over a first wireless channel having a first frequency and a first range, the information including a request for broadcasting at least part of the information to a plurality of other wireless devices, wherein an access point, the wireless device, and the plurality of other wireless devices form at least part of a multi-hop network; and

transmitting, by a second module of the wireless device, the information to the access point over a second wireless channel having a second frequency lower than the first frequency, the second wireless channel having a second range greater than the first range.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the first module is configured to send or receive the data and/or the control messages using a first antenna system that is capable of directional transmission, and wherein transmitting the information comprises using a second antenna system that is capable of omni-directional and/or directional transmission.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the first frequency is about 6 GHz or greater, and wherein the second frequency is about 6 GHz or lower.

28. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

receiving, by the second module, an acknowledgment signal over the second wireless channel, the acknowledgment signal being indicative of the completion of broadcasting the at least part of the information by the access point; and

notifying, by the second module, the first module of the completion of broadcasting the information.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein the information comprises at least part of a network map and/or an update to the network map.

30. The method of claim 25, further comprising transmitting, by the second module, data over the second wireless channel.

31. A method of wireless communication, the method comprising:

receiving, by an access point, network information over a first wireless channel having a first frequency and a first range, wherein the access point is configured to communicate data and/or one or more control messages with at least one of a plurality of wireless devices over a second wireless channel having a second frequency higher than the first frequency and a second range shorter than the first range, wherein the access point and the plurality of wireless devices form at least part of a multi-hop wireless network, the information originating from one of the wireless devices; and

transmitting, by the access point, the information to substantially all of the wireless devices over the first wireless channel.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein receiving the information comprises using an antenna system that is capable of onmi-directional and/or directional transmission, and wherein transmitting the information comprises using the antenna system.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the first frequency is about 6 GHz or lower, and wherein the second frequency is about 6 GHz or greater.

34. The method of claim 31, wherein the information comprises at least part of a network map and/or an update to the network map.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the network map comprises at least one of the location, ID, channel condition and availability of at least one of the wireless devices.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein the plurality of wireless devices comprise first to fourth wireless devices, wherein the method further comprises:

scheduling, by the access point, a first data transmission over a third wireless channel between the first and second wireless devices during a first transmission period, and a second data transmission over a fourth wireless channel between the third and fourth wireless devices during a second transmission period, based at least partly on the network map,

wherein each of the third and fourth wireless channels is directional and has the same frequency as the second frequency,

wherein the third and fourth wireless channel are spatially separated from each other, and

wherein the first and second transmission periods are at least partially overlapping with each other.

37. The method of claim 31, further comprising transmitting, by the access point, an acknowledgment signal to the one of devices after transmitting the information.

38. A wireless network comprising:

an access point; and

a plurality of wireless devices configured to wirelessly communicate with one another and with the access point, wherein the access point and the plurality of wireless devices form at least part of a multi-hop wireless network;

wherein each of the access point and the plurality of wireless devices comprises;

a first module configured to send or receive data and/or one or more control messages over a first wireless channel having a first frequency and a first range; and

a second module configured to send or receive one or more control signals over a second wireless channel having a second frequency lower than the first frequency, the second wireless channel having a second range greater than the first range,

wherein the second module of at least one of the wireless devices is further configured to send network information to the access point via the second wireless channel, and

wherein the access point is further configured to transmit the information over the multi-hop wireless network via the second wireless channel.

39. The network of claim 38, wherein the information comprises at least part of a network map and/or an update to the network map.