WIRELESS DEVICE WITH OPPORTUNISTIC BAND ACCESS

• US 20160105892A1
• Filed: 12/18/2015
• Published: 04/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Itron Networked Solutions, Inc. (Itron, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Silver Spring Networks, Inc. (Itron, Inc.)
• Inventors: SEIBERT, Cristina, GOTTLIB, Elad
• Granted Patent: US 9,549,407 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/406 with more than one transmission mode, e.g. analog and digital modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/18 Negotiating wireless communication parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/0453 Resources in frequency domain, e.g. a carrier in FDMA
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/52 based on load

Abstract

A wireless communication network system includes a plurality of nodes. Each node from the plurality of nodes includes a plurality of communication modules. Each module includes a modem and is configured to operate according to a communication protocol. Each communication module is configured to monitor its own communication parameter data and to cooperate with companion modules of a node by sharing communication parameter data, for instance through a coordination unit. Each communication module is further configured to allow, preferably according to a predefined set of rules, communication using a protocol of one communication module by utilizing a band associated with a companion module. The sharing of communication parameter data between modules may be continuous sharing or periodic sharing.

Claims

1. A node of a wireless communication network, the node comprising:

a communication interface configured to communicate with a wireless communication network according to a plurality of communication protocols each respectively associated with a corresponding frequency band; and

a processor configured to

control the communication interface to operate according to a first communication protocol associated with a first frequency band, and operate according to a second communication protocol associated with a second frequency band, the first and second communication protocols being different from each other, and the first and second frequency bands being different from each other,

monitor communication parameter data of the communication interface, the communication parameter data including information on band usage of the communication interface and band availability, and

based on the monitored communication parameter data, control the communication interface to allow communication with the wireless communication network according to the first communication protocol by utilizing the second frequency band associated with the second communication protocol so as to utilize an alternate frequency band unassociated with the first communication protocol and associated with the second communication protocol.

2. The node of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to determine an amount of usage of the first and second frequency bands, and

wherein the processor is configured to control the communication interface to communicate according to the first communication protocol by utilizing one of the first frequency band and the second frequency band based on the determined amount of usage of the frequency bands.

3. The node of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to monitor the communication parameter data of the communication interface according to band access rules based on band availability and usage of the first and second frequency bands, and to derive a schedule for the communication interface for communication according to each of the first and second communication protocols.

4. The node of claim 3, wherein the communication interface comprises a first transceiver and a second transceiver,

wherein the first transceiver is configured to operate according to the first communication protocol, and the second transceiver is configured to operate according to the second communication protocol, and

wherein the processor is configured to derive the schedule for band access for each of the first and second transceivers.

5. The node of claim 1, wherein the communication interface comprises a first transceiver and a second transceiver,

wherein the first transceiver is configured to operate according to the first communication protocol, and the second transceiver is configured to operate according to the second communication protocol,

wherein the processor is configured to monitor the communication parameter data of each of the first and second transceivers, and

wherein the processor is configured to, based on the monitored communication parameter data of each transceiver, control the first transceiver to allow communication using the first communication protocol associated with the first frequency band by utilizing the second frequency band associated with the second transceiver so as to utilize an alternate frequency band unassociated with the first communication protocol and associated with the second communication protocol of the second transceiver.

6. The node of claim 5, wherein the processor is configured to, based on the monitored communication parameter data of each transceiver, control the second transceiver to allow communication using the second communication protocol associated with the second frequency band by utilizing the first frequency band associated with the first transceiver so as to utilize an alternate frequency band unassociated with the second communication protocol and associated with the first communication protocol of the first transceiver.

7. The node of claim 5, wherein the processor is configured to determine an amount of usage of the first and second frequency bands, and

wherein the processor is configured to control the first transceiver to communicate according to the first communication protocol by utilizing one of the first frequency band and the second frequency band based on the determined amount of usage of the frequency bands.

8. The node of claim 5, wherein the processor is configured to monitor the communication parameter data of the communication interface according to band access rules based on band availability and usage of the first and second frequency bands, and to derive a schedule for the first and second transceivers for communication according to each of the first and second communication protocols.

9. The node of claim 8, wherein the set of rules includes utilizing an underutilized band associated with the second one of the transceivers, piggy-backing on a transmission in the underutilized band associated with the second one of the transceivers, and queuing a message at the second one of the transceivers for future transmission in the underutilized band associated with the second one of the transceivers if failures consistently occur.

10. The node of claim 5, wherein the processor is configured to control each transceiver to transmit communications to at least one access point and to receive communications from the at least one access point according to at least one of the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol.

11. The node of claim 5, wherein the first transceiver is configured to shift its associated frequency to utilize the band associated with the second transceiver.

12. The node of claim 5, wherein the processor is configured to control the first transceiver to share its communication parameters with the second transceiver via either continuous sharing or periodical sharing.

13. The node of claim 1, wherein the first communication protocol includes one of a ZigBee protocol, 3G protocol, SSN protocol, PCS protocol, and FHSS protocol, and

wherein the second communication protocol includes one of the ZigBee protocol, 3G protocol, SSN protocol, PCS protocol, and FHSS protocol.

14. The node of claim 1, wherein the communication parameter data includes at least one of band availability, band reliability, band occupancy, and radio requirements.

15. A wireless communication system, comprising:

a plurality of nodes according to claim 1.

16. The system of claim 15, comprising:

at least one access point constituting an interface between the wireless communication network and at least one other network external to the wireless communication network,

wherein the processor is configured to control the communication interface to transmit communications to the at least one access point and to receive communications from the at least one access point according to at least one of the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol.

17. A method of communicating in a communication node of a wireless communication network, the node having at least one processor, a non-transitory computer-readable recording medium having instructions recorded thereon to be executed by the processor, and a communication interface configured to communicate with a wireless communication network according to a plurality of communication protocols each respectively associated with a corresponding frequency band, the method comprising:

controlling, by the processor, the communication interface to operate according to a first communication protocol associated with a first frequency band, and to operate according to a second communication protocol associated with a second frequency band, the first and second communication protocols being different from each other, and the first and second frequency bands being different from each other;

monitoring, by the processor, communication parameter data of the communication interface, the communication parameter data including information on band usage of the communication interface and band availability; and

based on the monitored communication parameter data, controlling, by the processor, the communication interface to allow communication with the wireless communication network according to the first communication protocol by utilizing the second frequency band associated with the second communication protocol so as to utilize an alternate frequency band unassociated with the first communication protocol and associated with the second communication protocol.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising:

determine, by the processor, an amount of usage of the first and second frequency bands, and

controlling, by the processor, the communication interface to communicate according to the first communication protocol by utilizing one of the first frequency band and the second frequency band based on the determined amount of usage of the frequency bands.

19. The method of claim 17, comprising:

monitoring, by the processor, the communication parameter data of the communication interface according to band access rules based on band availability and usage of the first and second frequency bands; and

deriving, by the processor, a schedule for the communication interface for communication according to each of the first and second communication protocols.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the communication interface comprises a first transceiver configured to operate according to the first communication protocol and a second transceiver configured to operate according to the second communication protocol, and

wherein the method comprises:

monitoring, by the processor, the communication parameter data of each of the first and second transceivers, and

based on the monitored communication parameter data of each transceiver, controlling, by the processor, the first transceiver to allow communication using the first communication protocol associated with the first frequency band by utilizing the second frequency band associated with the second transceiver so as to utilize an alternate frequency band unassociated with the first communication protocol and associated with the second communication protocol of the second transceiver.