METHOD AND DEVICE FOR COMMUNICATION BETWEEN MULTIPLE WIRELESS UNITS

• US 20110122967A1
• Filed: 06/15/2009
• Published: 05/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Free2move AB (Free2move Holding AB)
• Original Assignee: Free2move AB (Free2move Holding AB)
• Inventors: Wiberg, Per-Arne
• Application Number:
  US12/999,211
• Publication Number:
  US 20110122967A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/295
• 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 84/20 Master-slave selection or change arrangements

Abstract

A method and device for operating a wireless network comprising at least two user equipments, each comprising a transmitter and a receiver. A beacon frame is sent by a master user equipment at a transmit channel derivable from a user code. The beacon frame comprises a network code. Any user equipment may calculate a data channel by an algorithm using the user code and the network code. The user equipment may be an active user, which is permitted to send data over said data channel, or a passive user equipment, which only receives transmitted data at said data channel. Several active users may transmit simultaneously. Such active users are entered on a list at the beacon frame and is designated each a transmit channel. A passive user may become an active user, for example by pushing a button, whereupon the passive user is entered on the list of active user and at the same time takes over the task to send the beacon frame, i.e. becomes a master user.

Claims

1. A method of operating a wireless network comprising at least two user equipments, each comprising a transmitter and a receiver, the method comprising:

sending a beacon frame by a master user equipment at a transmit channel derivable from a user code, said beacon frame comprising a network code;

transmitting information data at a data channel obtained by an algorithm using said user code and said network code;

receiving said beacon frame by another user equipment;

extracting said network code from said beacon frame and calculating said data channel from said user code and said network code for receiving said transmitted information data.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of said user equipments is either

a passive user equipment which is able only to receive data, or

an active user equipment, which as able to both transmit data and receive data, wherein

a passive user equipment comprises a user code, which is specific for the network, which user code is for example entered into the user equipment by a user or is hardcoded in the user equipment, whereby the passive user equipment is able to calculate the beacon frame channel in order to receive the network code in the beacon frame, and use the user code and the network code to calculate the data channel in order to receive the data;

and wherein

a passive user equipment becomes an active user equipment by being designed a user identity, which is entered on a list comprised in the master user equipment, said identity being connected to a data channel.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, further comprising several data channels for transmission of several information data streams substantially simultaneously from several active user equipments, wherein the data channels are arranged in several time slots arranged in a time sequence after each other, and/or in several frequency channels arranged to be transmitted simultaneously.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said transmission of information data is performed by any active user equipment, including said master user equipment.

5. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein said list of active users of said master equipment is included in said beacon frame, and wherein the list of active user is limited to a specific maximum, such as maximum six simultaneous active users.

6. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein when a passive user becomes an active user, the new active user becomes master user and takes over the task to send the beacon frame.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said network is an ad-hoc network.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the network is initiated when an initiating user wants to send information, whereupon a beacon frame is sent followed by transmission of data information, and wherein the network is terminated when there is no active user except the master user and the master user terminates sending the beacon frame.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said receiver and transmitter are comprised at a custom made integrated circuit, or is comprised in a Bluetooth circuit.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said receiver and transmitter are comprised in a WLAN device, wherein a Physical Layer of the WLAN device is connected to a Multitalk Protocol Layer, either directly or via an IP block and a UDP block.

11. A device for performing the method according to claim 1, which device comprises a transmitter and a receiver and a control unit for performing the method steps of at least one of the previous claims.

12. Software arranged on a tangible medium for controlling the control unit according to claim 11.