Radio frequency local area network

• US 5,428,636 A
• Filed: 05/07/1993
• Issued: 06/27/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.), Innovatio IP Ventures LLC
• Original Assignee: Norand Corporation (Baker Hughes Company)
• Inventors: Meier, Robert C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cain, David C.
• Application Number:
  US08/059,447
• Time in Patent Office: 781 Days
• Field of Search: 375/1, 370/60, 370/85.6, 370/94.1, 370/95.1, 370/77, 370/93, 379/221, 379/209, 340/825
• US Class Current: 375/132
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0225 User interface arrangements, e.g. keyboard, display; Interfaces to other computer systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/1098 the scanning arrangement having a modular construction
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/007 specially adapted for indoor communication
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/241 used in mobile communications, e.g. GSM H01Q1/247, H01Q1/248 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/24 Combinations of antenna units polarised in different directions for transmitting or receiving circularly and elliptically polarised waves or waves linearly polarised in any direction circularly polarised patch antennas H01Q9/0428; circularly polarised horns H01Q13/0241; cross-polarised horns H01Q13/0258; polarisation converters H01Q15/242; cross-polarised rear feeds H01Q19/136; crossed polarisation dual antenna H01Q25/001
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/1615 Switching on; Switching off, e.g. remotely battery saving circuits associated with selective call operation H04W52/00; details of power consumption reduction in a PLL, H03L7/0802, H03L7/14, H03L2207/08, H03L2207/18; muting amplifiers by gain control see H03G3/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3833 Hand-held transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1685 the supervisory signal being transmitted in response to a specific request, e.g. to a polling signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/18 Automatic repetition systems, e.g. Van Duuren systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/48 Routing tree calculation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/324 in the data link layer [OSI layer 2], e.g. HDLC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/325 in the network layer [OSI layer 3], e.g. X.25 H04L69/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/326 in the transport layer [OSI layer 4] H04L69/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/246 Connectivity information discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/248 Connectivity information update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 : adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for routing data in a radio data communication system having one or more host computers, one or more intermediate base stations, and one or more RF terminals organizes the intermediate base stations into an optimal spanning-tree network to control the routing of data to and from the RF terminals and the host computer efficiently and dynamically. Communication between the host computer and the RF terminals is achieved by using the network of intermediate base stations to transmit the data.

Claims

1. An RF multi-hop communication network comprising:

a mobile communication node;

a plurality of bridging nodes; and

said bridging nodes dynamically arranging and rearranging communication pathways involving the mobile communication node based on the location of the mobile communication node in relation to the plurality of bridging nodes.

2. The RF multi-hop communication network of claim 1 wherein ones of said plurality of bridging nodes comprising wireless bridging nodes.

3. The RF multi-hop communication network of claim 2 wherein said plurality of bridging nodes forming a spanning tree configuration for the dynamic arrangement and rearrangement of communication pathways.

4. The RF multi-hop communication network of claim 3 wherein said plurality of bridging nodes revising locally stored information to reflect the present location of said mobile communication node moving within the network.

5. A multi-hop communication network comprising:

a plurality of terminal nodes, ones of said plurality of terminal nodes comprising wireless mobile communication nodes;

a plurality of bridging nodes, ones of said plurality of bridging nodes comprising wireless bridging nodes;

a root node;

said root node and said plurality of bridging nodes, together, forming a tree structure of communication pathways among said bridging nodes and said root node to support communication among said plurality of terminal nodes;

said root node dynamically revising locally stored information regarding all of said plurality of terminal nodes that exist in a communication pathway away from said root node; and

each of said plurality of bridging nodes dynamically revising locally stored information regarding all of said plurality of terminal nodes that exist in a communication pathway originating at said bridging node and terminating in a direction away from said root node.

6. The multi-hop communication network of claim 5 wherein said plurality of bridging nodes and said root node, together, forming a spanning tree to specify communication pathways among said plurality of terminal nodes, said plurality of bridging nodes and said root node.

7. The multi-hop communication network of claim 5 wherein each of said plurality of bridging nodes and said root node dynamically revising their locally stored information to reflect the present location of said wireless mobile communication nodes moving within the network.

8. A multi-hop communication network comprising:

a plurality of terminal nodes, ones of said plurality of terminal nodes comprising wireless mobile communication nodes;

a plurality of bridging nodes, ones of said plurality of bridging nodes comprising wireless bridging nodes; and

said plurality of bridging nodes, together, forming a spanning tree to specify communication pathways among said plurality of terminal nodes.

9. The multi-hop communication network of claim 8 wherein said plurality of bridging nodes dynamically cream and revise the communication pathways to maintain network connectivity.

10. The multi-hop communication network of claim 9 wherein each of said plurality of bridging nodes dynamically revise the communication pathways to enable communication with said wireless mobile communication nodes moving within the network.

11. A multi-hop communication network comprising:

a plurality of terminal nodes, ones of said plurality of terminal nodes comprising wireless mobile communication nodes;

a plurality of bridging nodes, ones of said plurality of bridging nodes comprising wireless bridging nodes; and

said plurality of bridging nodes dynamically creating communication pathways among said bridging nodes to support communication among said plurality of terminal nodes.

12. The multi-hop communication network of claim 11 wherein said plurality of bridging nodes, together, forming a spanning tree to specify communication pathways among said plurality of terminal nodes and said plurality of bridging nodes.

13. The multi-hop communication network of claim 12 wherein each of said plurality of bridging nodes dynamically revising the communication pathways among said bridging nodes to enable communication with said wireless mobile communication nodes moving within the network.