APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR REPORTING OF COMMUNICATION PATH QUALITY WITHIN A WIRELESS NETWORK

• US 20140369211A1
• Filed: 07/22/2013
• Published: 12/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Pulini, Christopher, Scott, Jeffrey B., Swanson, Norman R., Sanghavi, Niral
• Granted Patent: US 9,241,281 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A method includes identifying multiple statistics associated with each of multiple wireless connections. The multiple wireless connections form a single communication path between two wireless nodes in a wireless network. The method also includes identifying an overall quality associated with the communication path using the statistics. The method can also include assigning a quality value to each statistic for each wireless connection, where the overall quality is based on at least one of the quality values assigned to the statistics (such as a lowest of the quality values). The statistics could include a Received Signal Quality Indicator (RSQI), a Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI), and a transmit success/fail ratio. The quality value assigned to each statistic could include a “good” quality, a “fair” quality, or a “poor” quality.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying multiple statistics associated with each of multiple wireless connections, the multiple wireless connections forming a single communication path between two wireless nodes in a wireless network; and

identifying an overall quality associated with the communication path using the statistics.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

assigning a quality value to each statistic for each wireless connection;

wherein the overall quality is based on at least one of the quality values assigned to the statistics.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the overall quality is based on a lowest of the quality values assigned to the statistics.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

defining multiple ranges for each of the statistics, different ranges associated with different quality values assignable to that statistic.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the statistics comprise a Received Signal Quality Indicator (RSQI), a Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI), and a transmit success/fail ratio; and

the quality value assigned to each statistic comprises one of;

a “

good”

quality, a “

fair”

quality, and a “

poor”

quality.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the multiple wireless connections comprise:

a first wireless connection from a first of the wireless nodes to a second of the wireless nodes; and

a second wireless connection from the second wireless node to the first wireless node.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a graphical display, the graphical display including the overall quality of the communication path.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a report comprising at least one of;

the overall quality of the communication path and information based on the overall quality of the communication path.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

repeating the identifying steps for multiple communication paths in the wireless network.

10. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processing device configured to;

obtain multiple statistics associated with each of multiple wireless connections forming a single communication path between two wireless nodes in a wireless network; and

identify an overall quality associated with the communication path using the statistics; and

at least one memory configured to store the overall quality.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein:

the at least one processing device is further configured to assign a quality value to each statistic for each wireless connection; and

the at least one processing device is configured to identify the overall quality based on at least one of the quality values assigned to the statistics.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least one processing device is configured to identify the overall quality based on a lowest of the quality values assigned to the statistics.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least one processing device is further configured to define multiple ranges for each of the statistics, different ranges associated with different quality values assignable to that statistic.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein:

the statistics comprise a Received Signal Quality Indicator (RSQI), a Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI), and a transmit success/fail ratio; and

the quality value assigned to each statistic comprises one of;

a “

good”

quality, a “

fair”

quality, and a “

poor”

quality.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the multiple wireless connections comprise:

a first wireless connection from a first of the wireless nodes to a second of the wireless nodes; and

a second wireless connection from the second wireless node to the first wireless node.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the at least one processing device is further configured to generate a graphical display for presentation to a user, the graphical display including the overall quality of the communication path.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the at least one processing device is further configured to generate a report for presentation to a user, the report comprising at least one of:

the overall quality of the communication path and information based on the overall quality of the communication path.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium embodying a computer program, the computer program comprising computer readable program code for:

obtaining multiple statistics associated with each of multiple wireless connections, the multiple wireless connections forming a single communication path between two wireless nodes in a wireless network; and

identifying an overall quality associated with the communication path using the statistics.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, further comprising computer readable program code for assigning a quality value to each statistic for each wireless connection;

wherein the overall quality is based on a lowest of the quality values assigned to the statistics.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein:

the statistics comprise a Received Signal Quality Indicator (RSQI), a Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI), and a transmit success/fail ratio; and

the quality value assigned to each statistic comprises one of;

a “

good”

quality, a “

fair”

quality, and a “

poor”

quality.