WIRELESS NETWORK SYSTEMS

• US 20130156016A1
• Filed: 12/13/2012
• Published: 06/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Debnath, Sankar Prasad, Thiagarajan, Ganesan, Tripathi, Brijesh Mani, Madpuwar, Girish
• Application Number:
  US13/713,374
• Publication Number:
  US 20130156016A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/336
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/20 for indoor coverage or short range network deployment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/00 Synchronisation arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Several wireless network systems are disclosed. In an embodiment, a wireless network system includes at least two access points and a distributed set of devices communicatively associated with the at least two access points. Each device from among the distributed set of devices comprises a pair of wireless stations and each wireless station from among the pair of wireless stations is configured to transmit data associated with an alert situation to a distinct access point from among the at least two access points. A communication between one or more access points from among the at least two access points and one or more wireless stations from among the pairs of wireless stations corresponding to the distributed set of devices is synchronized based on a timing synchronization information shared by at least two basic service sets (BSSs) corresponding to the at least two access points.

Claims

1. A wireless network system comprising;

at least two access points; and

a distributed set of devices communicatively associated with the at least two access points, each device from among the distributed set of devices comprising a pair of wireless stations, each wireless station from among the pair of wireless stations configured to transmit data associated with an alert situation to a distinct access point from among the at least two access points, and a communication between one or more access points from among the at least two access points and one or more wireless stations from among the pairs of wireless stations corresponding to the distributed set of devices being synchronized based on a timing synchronization information shared by at least two basic service sets (BSSs) corresponding to the at least two access points.

2. The wireless network system of claim 1, wherein the at least two access points and the pairs of wireless stations are configured to comply with at least one of a plurality of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 protocols for the communication.

3. The wireless network system of claim 1, wherein each wireless station from among the pair of wireless stations comprises a radio operable individually based on an associated wireless context, wherein the radio is enabled for a predetermined duration periodically based on a time-sharing paradigm.

4. The wireless network system of claim 1, wherein each wireless station from among the pair of wireless stations is configured to transmit the same data associated with the alert situation to distinct access points from among the at least two access points.

5. The wireless network system of claim 4, wherein the distinct access points configured to receive the transmitted data associated with the alert situation are associated with different service set identifications (SSIDs).

6. The wireless network system of claim 4, wherein the distinct access points configured to receive the transmitted data associated with the alert situation are associated with a same SSID.

7. The wireless network system of claim 6, wherein the distinct access points comprises a primary access point and a secondary access point associated with same basic service set identification (BSSID), and wherein the secondary access point is configured to perform one or more functions associated with the corresponding primary access point in an event of operational failure of the primary access point.

8. The wireless network system of claim 1, further comprising:

a server configured to receive the data associated with the alert situation from the at least two access points, wherein the data is received over at least one of a wireless backhaul connection and a wired backhaul connection.

9. The wireless network system of claim 8, wherein the server is configured to periodically transmit the timing synchronization information in form of a timing synchronization function (TSF) to the at least two basic service sets (BSSs) corresponding to the at least two access points for subsequent propagation to the pairs of wireless stations at periodic intervals for synchronizing the transmission of the data associated with the alert situation through a same frequency channel.

10. The wireless network system of claim 1, wherein the at least two access points are configured to dynamically increase bandwidth allocation to at least one wireless station from among the pairs of wireless stations corresponding to the distributed set of devices upon an occurrence of the alert situation.

11. The wireless network system of claim 1, wherein each access point from among the at least two access points is configured to be operable in a Wi-Fi repeater mode for propagation of the data associated with the alert situation.

12. The wireless network system of claim 1, wherein each device from among the distributed set of devices comprises a circuit from among one of (1) a sensor, (2) an actuator, and (3) a user interface.

13. A wireless network system comprising:

at least two access points; and

a distributed set of devices communicatively associated with the at least two access points, each device from among the distributed set of devices comprising a wireless station configured to periodically switch wireless contexts based on a time-sharing paradigm for transmission of data associated with an alert situation to distinct access points from among the at least two access points, and a communication between one or more access points from among the at least two access points and one or more wireless stations corresponding to the distributed set of devices being synchronized based on a timing synchronization information shared by at least two basic service sets (BSSs) corresponding to the at least two access points.

14. The wireless network system of claim 13, wherein the at least two access points and the one or more wireless stations are configured to comply with at least one of a plurality of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 protocols for the communication, and wherein each device from among the distributed set of devices comprises a circuit from among one of (1) a sensor, (2) an actuator, and (3) a user interface.

15. The wireless network system of claim 13, wherein the wireless station is configured to transmit the same data associated with the alert situation to the distinct access points, and wherein the distinct access points are associated with one of different service set identifications (SSIDs) and a same SSID.

16. The wireless network system of claim 13, further comprising:

a server configured to receive the data associated with the alert situation from the at least two access points, wherein the data is received over at least one of a wireless backhaul connection and a wired backhaul connection.

17. The wireless network system of claim 16, wherein the server is configured to periodically transmit the timing synchronization information in form of a timing synchronization function (TSF) to the at least two basic service sets (BSSs) corresponding to the at least two access points at least two access points for subsequent propagation to the one or more wireless stations at periodic intervals for synchronizing the transmission of the data associated with the alert situation through a same frequency channel.

18. A wireless network system comprising:

a plurality of access points; and

a distributed set of devices communicatively associated with the plurality of access points, each device from among the distributed set of devices comprising at least one wireless station configured to transmit data associated with an alert situation to two distinct access points from among the plurality of access points through separate frequency channels.

19. The wireless network system of claim 18, wherein each wireless station of the at least one wireless station is configured to transmit the same data associated with the alert situation to the two distinct access points from among the plurality of access points, and wherein the distinct access points configured to receive transmitted data are associated with one of different service set identifications (SSIDs) and a same SSID.

20. The wireless network system of claim 18, wherein the plurality of access points and the at least one wireless station corresponding to the distributed set of devices are configured to comply with at least one of a plurality of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 protocols for the communication, and wherein each device from among the distributed set of devices comprises a circuit from among one of (1) a sensor, (2) an actuator, and (3) a user interface.