Wireless in-building telecommunications system for voice and data communications

• US 5,475,681 A
• Filed: 01/31/1994
• Issued: 12/12/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/1989
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mitzlaff, James E., White, Richard E., Freeburg, Thomas A., Berken, James J., Bedlek, Gregory J., Ogasawara, Roy T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kizou, Hassan
• Application Number:
  US08/166,194
• Time in Patent Office: 680 Days
• Field of Search: 370/60, 370/60.1, 370/85.1, 370/85.4, 370/85.5, 370/85.7, 370/94.1, 370/94.2, 370/94.3, 370/95.1, 370/95.2, 370/95.3, 370/85.11, 379/58, 379/59, 379/60, 379/61, 455/53.1, 455/54.1, 455/57.1
• US Class Current: 370/349
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/423 with synchronous protocol
• 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 1/38 Transceivers, i.e. devices in which transmitter and receiver form a structural unit and in which at least one part is used for functions of transmitting and receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/56 Packet switching systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/64 Hybrid switching systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/6402 Hybrid switching fabrics
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0245 according to signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An improved network interface architecture for a packet switch provides a mechanism for handling voice and data packets. Bandwidth allocation can be changed because control and data memories are synchronized to one another. A hierarchical addressing technique is employed to enhance flexibility in handling packet information. This method permits packet message data and certain packet control data to be stored in memory locations without having to be duplicated at a different memory location prior to transmission of the packet. In an exemplary wireless TDMA packet network a control module (CM) sends a time stamp relative to the beginning of its frame in a synchronization packet allowing each of a plurality of user modules (UM) to maintain synchronization relative to the CM. The CM uses a plurality of directional antennas and transmits the synchronization packets over each antenna over a predetermined number of frames. The UMs use a receive time stamp to identify the beginning of a received synchronization packet. The difference between the time stamps combined with a delay constant is used by the UMs to adjust time synchronization to the CM frame. Packets are communicated between the controller and the peripherals at the UM and CM over a bus using a communication protocol which increases the efficiencies of packet communications by allowing additional direct command lines between the communications controller and peripherals.

Claims

1. A wireless in-building telecommunications system for voice and data communications comprising:

a control module;

a plurality of user modules;

said control module having a voice interface device coupled to a public switched telephone network (PSTN) for coupling voice signals to the public switched telephone network (PSTN), and a plurality of data interface devices coupled to respective digital information sources for coupling data signals to the respective digital information sources;

said plurality of user modules having a voice interface device coupled to a telephone instrument for coupling voice signals to the telephone instrument, and a plurality of data interface devices coupled to respective digital information terminals for coupling data signals to the respective digital information terminals;

said control module having a packet switch coupled to said voice interface device and said plurality of data interface devices via a network interface bus, at least one of said data interface devices coupled to a radio which communicates with said plurality of user modules via a shared RF communications channel;

said plurality of user modules having a packet switch coupled to said voice interface device and said plurality of data interface devices via a network interface bus, at least one of said data interface devices coupled to a radio which communicates with said control module via said shared RF communications channel.

2. The wireless in-building telecommunications system of claim 1 wherein said digital information sources are selected from the group consisting of:

Ethernet local area networks and Token Ring local area networks.

3. The wireless in-building telecommunications system of claim 1 wherein said digital information sources comprise a computer.

4. The wireless in-building telecommunications system of claim 1 wherein said digital information terminals are selected from the group consisting of:

personal computers, 3270 terminals and RS232 terminals.

5. A wireless in-building telecommunications system for data communications comprising:

a control module;

a plurality of user modules;

said control module having a plurality of data interface devices coupled to respective digital information sources for coupling data signals to the respective digital information sources;

said plurality of user modules having a plurality of data interface devices coupled to respective digital information terminals for coupling data signals to the respective digital information terminals;

said control module having a packet switch coupled to said plurality of data interface devices via a network interface bus, at least one of said data interface devices coupled to a radio which communicates with said plurality of user modules via a shared RF communications channel;

said plurality of user modules having a packet switch coupled to said plurality of data interface devices via a network interface bus, at least one of said data interface devices coupled to a radio which communicates with said control module via said shared RF communications channel.