Method of operating a wireless and a short-range wireless connection in the same frequency

• US 6,326,926 B1
• Filed: 05/18/2000
• Issued: 12/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Telxon Corporation (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Rozmus, J. Michael, Shoobridge, Richard Allen
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Tho
• Assistant Examiner(s): VANNUCCI, JAMES
• Application Number:
  US09/573,709
• Time in Patent Office: 565 Days
• Field of Search: 343/702, 455/432, 455/428, 455/435, 455/422, 333/20, 370/486
• US Class Current: 343/702
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/007 specially adapted for indoor communication
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 25/00 Antennas or antenna systems providing at least two radiating patterns arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern H01Q3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• 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

A system is provided having a first antenna arrangement tuned to communicate within a first radiation pattern and a second antenna arrangement tuned to communicate within a second radiation pattern. In a preferred aspect of the invention, the first radiation path has an inverted conical shape and the second radiation path has a disk shape. The first radiation path is employed to communicate to access points communicating according to the IEEE 802.11 standard and being located above tabletop level. The second radiation path is employed to communicate to access points communicating according to the Bluetooth standard and being located at or below tabletop level. A guard band separates the first radiation path from the second radiation path. The first and second antenna arrangement can be coupled to separate radio devices or can be coupled to the same radio device.

Claims

1. A radio system for transmitting signals within a first wireless system located in a building and a second wireless system located in the building, the radio system comprising:

a first antenna system tuned to transmit and receive wireless communication within a first radiation pattern for communicating with the first wireless system; and

a second antenna system tuned to transmit and receive wireless communication within a second radiation pattern for communicating with the second wireless system, the first and second radiation patterns being spatially separated from one another to mitigate interference between the first and second radiation patterns.

2. The system of claim 1, the first antenna system being coupled to a first radio device and the second antenna system being coupled to a second radio device.

3. The system of claim 1, the first antenna system and the second antenna system being coupled to a single radio device.

4. The system of claim 1, the first wireless system including at least one access point located at a first level and the second wireless system including at least one access point located at or below the first level.

5. The system of claim 4, the first radiation pattern having an inverted conical shape and the second radiation pattern having a disk shape wherein the first radiation pattern is located above the second radiation pattern in the building.

6. The system of claim 5, the first wireless system communicating utilizing multiple signaling schemes at different data rates to deliver a single data packet over a direct sequence spread spectrum and the second wireless system communicating according to the Bluetooth standard.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first wireless system and the second wireless system communicate within the same general frequency.

8. The system of claim 1, at least one of the first antenna system and the second antenna system being coupled to a mobile device including an antenna direction control component adapted to adjust the orientation of the antenna so as to maintain its respective radiation pattern regardless of the orientation of the mobile device.

9. The system of claim 8, further including a ground tracker system adapted to determine the orientation of the mobile device and transmit this information to the antenna direction control component for adjustment of the orientation of the antenna.

10. The system of claim 8, the antenna direction control component being a double gimbal assembly.

11. The system of claim 8, the antenna direction control component being a container of liquid wherein the antenna is submerged in the container of liquid and floats to one of the top and bottom of the liquid depending on the density of the liquid and the density of the antenna.

12. A method of transmitting wireless communications within a building comprising the steps of:

providing a first wireless system in the building having at least one access point located at a first level;

providing a second wireless system in the building having at least one access point located at or below the first level;

transmitting radio communications to the at least one access point of the first wireless system within a first radiation pattern; and

transmitting radio communications to the at least one access point of the second wireless system within a second radiation pattern, the first and second radiation patterns being spatially separated from one another to mitigate interference between the first and second pattern.

13. The method of claim 12, the first radiation pattern having an inverted conical shape and the second radiation pattern having a disk shape wherein the first radiation pattern is located above the second radiation pattern.

14. The method of claim 13, the first radiation pattern and the second radiation pattern being separated by a guard band.

15. The method of claim 12, the first wireless system transmitting communication utilizing multiple signaling schemes at different data rates to deliver a single data packet over a direct sequence spread spectrum and the second wireless system transmitting communications according to a Bluetooth standard.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of transmitting radio communications to the at least one access point of the first wireless system at a first radiation pattern includes providing a radio system with an antenna having a first shape and the step of transmitting radio communications to the at least one access point of the second wireless system at a second radiation pattern includes providing a radio system with an antenna having a second shape.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of transmitting radio communications to the at least one access point of the first wireless system at a first radiation pattern includes providing a radio system with an antenna tuned to transmit radio communications according to the first radiation pattern and the step of transmitting radio communications to the at least one access point of the second wireless system at a second radiation pattern includes providing a radio system tuned to transmit radio communications according to the second radiation pattern.

18. A radio system for transmitting signals within a first wireless system located in a building and a second wireless system located in the building, the radio system comprising:

means for communicating wirelessly within a first radiation pattern for communicating with the first wireless system;

means for communicating wirelessly within a second radiation pattern for communicating with the second wireless system; and

means for mitigating interference between the first and second radiation pattern, the first and second radiation patterns being spatially separated from one another.

19. The system of claim 18, further including means for maintaining the orientation of the means for communicating wirelessly within a first radiation pattern.

20. The system of claim 19, further including means for tracking the ground location being adapted to provide the means for maintaining the orientation of the means for communicating wirelessly within a first radiation pattern with ground location information.

21. A system for transmitting wireless communications within a building comprising:

a first wireless system in the building having at least one access point located at a first level;

a second wireless system in the building having at least one access point located at a second level, the first level being located above the second level;

a first radiation pattern to transmit radio communications to the at least one access point of the first wireless system, the first radiation pattern having an inverted conical shape;

a second radiation pattern to transmit radio communications to the at least one access point of the second wireless system, the second radiation pattern having a disk shape, the first radiation pattern being spatially located above the second radiation pattern; and

a guard band to separate the first radiation pattern from the second radiation pattern to avoid interference between the first and second radiation patterns.