Communications system and method

• US 6,553,020 B1
• Filed: 06/17/1999
• Issued: 04/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Radiant Networks PLC
• Inventors: Newman, James, Jackson, Timothy, Hughes, Philip T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ferguson, Keith
• Application Number:
  US09/331,219
• Time in Patent Office: 1,405 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328, 370/329, 370/336, 370/337, 370/345, 370/238, 370/347, 370/437, 370/442, 455/445, 455/422, 455/412, 455/77, 455/1, 455/517, 455/500, 455/503, 455/466
• US Class Current: 370/347
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5607 Radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/562 Routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5623 Network design, dimensioning, topology or optimisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/5634 In-call negotiation
• 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 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/24 Multipath
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/42 Centralised routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 11/0478 Provisions for broadband connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/06 based on characteristics of available antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/22 using selective relaying for reaching a BTS [Base Transceiver Station] or an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/34 Modification of an existing route
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/04 Scheduled access hybrid access H04W74/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

A communications system (1) has a plurality of nodes (2). Each node (2) has a receiver (10) for receiving a signal transmitted by wireless transmitting means and a transmitter (11) for wireless transmission of a signal. Each code (2) further has means for determining if a signal received by said node (2) includes information for another node and causing a signal including said information to be transmitted by said transmitting means to another node if said signal includes information for anode node. Each node (2) has a substantially unidirectional point-to-point wireless transmission link (3) to at least one other node. The communications system (1) has high spectral efficiency compared to a broadcast cellular system and allows high data transfer rates to be achieved.

Claims

1. A communications system, the system comprising:

a plurality of nodes, each node having;

receiving means for receiving a signal transmitted by wireless transmitting means;

transmitting means for wireless transmission of a signal; and

,

means for determining if a signal received by said node includes information for another node and causing a signal including said information to be transmitted by said transmitting means to another node if said received signal includes information for another node;

each node having a substantially unidirectional point-to-point wireless transmission link with at least one other node such that each node can transmit a signal to at least one other node, at least some of the nodes having plural substantially unidirectional point-to-point wireless transmission links, each link between respective pairs of nodes being associated with a distinct time slot, the nodes being linked so as to form transmission path loops thereby to provide plural choices of path for the transmission of a signal between at least some of the nodes, each loop consisting of an even number of links.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein each node is stationary.

3. A system according to claim 1, wherein the number of nodes is less than the number of links.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein each node is arranged to be in a transmission mode for a time period which alternates with a time period for a reception mode.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein each node has addressing means for adding to information in a received signal the address of a node to which a signal including said information is to be routed when said information is for another node.

6. A system according to claim 5, wherein the addressing means includes means for determining the route of information through the system and adding an appropriate address to the information accordingly.

7. A system according to claim 1, further comprising a central system controller for determining the route of information through the system.

8. A system according to claim 1, wherein at least one node has means for determining if a received signal includes information for said at least one node and processing means for processing information in a signal addressed to said at least one node.

9. A system according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting means of the nodes are arranged to transmit signals at frequencies greater than about 1 GHz.

10. A system according to claim 1, wherein the link between two nodes is arranged to use simultaneously two or more frequency channels.

11. A system according to claim 1, wherein said receiving said transmitting means are arranged to transmit and detect circularly polarised radiation.

12. A system according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting means includes a highly directional transmitter.

13. A system according to claim 1, wherein the receiving means includes a highly directional receiver.

14. A system according to claim 1, wherein each node is substantially identical.

15. A system according to claim 1, wherein the system is connected to a conventional trunk network for providing access to other networks.

16. A system according to claim 15, comprising a further node connected by a data connection to one of the nodes of the system and arranged to transfer a signal to or receive a signal from the trunk network or both.

17. A system according to claim 1, wherein a data storage server is connected to or provided at a node.

18. A system according to claim 1, wherein at least one link of a node is arranged to use a first transmission frequency and at least one other link of said node is arranged to use a second transmission frequency.

19. A system according to claim 1, wherein some of the nodes are allocated to subscribers and some of the nodes are not allocated to subscribers, at least some of said non-allocated nodes being solely for carrying information traffic between subscriber nodes.

20. A communications system according to claim 1, wherein said communications system is included in a telecommunications switching device.

21. A system according to claim 1, wherein each node has a direct line-of-sight link with at lest one other node such that each node can transmit a signal to another node in line-of-sight with said each node.

22. A system according to claim 1, wherein each node comprises means for transmitting a signal including said information to another node if and only if a signal received at said node includes information for another node.

23. A system according to claim 1, wherein the allocation of time slots to the links can be varied such that a link may be selectively be associated with more than one time slot.

24. A system according to claim 1, wherein at least one node is arranged not to transmit to any other node information in a signal received by said at least one node when that information is addressed to said at least one node.

25. A system according to claim 24, wherein each node is arranged not to transmit to any other node information in a signal received by said at least one node when that information is addressed to said at least one node.

26. A method for communications, the method comprising:

(A) transmitting a signal from one node to another node along a substantially unidirectional point-to-point wireless transmission link between said nodes;

(B) receiving said signal at said other node;

(C) determining in said other node if the signal received by said other node includes information for a further node and transmitting a signal including said information from said other node to a further node along a substantially unidirectional point-to-point wireless transmission link between said nodes if said signal includes information for a further node; and

,

(D) repeating (A) to (C) until said signal reaches its destination node, wherein for each node that has plural links, each link to another node is associated with a distinct time slot, the nodes being linked so as to form transmission path loops thereby to provide plural choices of path for the transmission of a signal between at least some of the nodes, each loop consisting of an even number of links.

27. A method according to claim 26, wherein each transmission on a link of said one node occurs during a distinct time slot and each reception on a link of said other node occurs during a distinct time slot.

28. A method according to claim 27, further comprising varying the allocation of time slots to the links such that a link is selectively associated with more than one time slot.

29. A method according to claim 26, wherein each node adds to information in a received signal the address of a node to which a signal including said information is to be routed when said information is for another node.

30. A method according to claim 26, wherein each node has addressing means, the addressing means determining the route of the information through the system and adding an appropriate address to the information accordingly.

31. A method according to claim 26, wherein a central system controller determines the route of information through the system.

32. A method according to claim 26, further including determining in at least one node if a received signal includes information for said at least one node and processing the information in a signal addressed to said at least one node.

33. A method according to claim 26, wherein the signals are transmitted at frequencies greater than about 1 GHz.

34. A method according to claim 26, wherein there are at least two possible paths for transfer of data between a source node and a destination node, and further comprising transmitting a copy of said data on each of said at least two paths.

35. A method according to claim 26, wherein there are at least two possible paths for transfer of data between a source node and a destination node, and comprising transmitting from the source node a part only of said data on each of said at least two paths and reconstructing the data from said transmitted parts of said data in the destination node.

36. A method according to claim 26, wherein each node transmits a signal including said information to another node if and only if a signal received at said node includes information for another node.

37. A communications system, the system comprising:

a plurality of nodes,

each node being constructed and arranged to receive a wirelessly transmitted signal and to transmit wirelessly a signal,

each node further being constructed and arranged to determine if a wireless signal received by said node includes information for another node and to cause a signal including said information to be wirelessly transmitted to another node if said received signal includes information for another node,

each node having a substantially unidirectional point-to-point wireless transmission link with at least one other node such that each node can transmit a signal to at least one other node, at least some of the nodes having plural substantially unidirectional point-to-point wireless transmission links, each link between respective pairs of nodes being associated with a distinct time slot, the nodes being linked so as to form transmission path loops thereby to provide plural choices of path for the transmission of a signal between at least some of the nodes, each loop consisting of an even number of links.

38. A system according to claim 37, wherein the number of nodes is less than the number of links.

39. A system according to claim 37, wherein each node is arranged to be in a transmission mode for a time period which alternates with a time period for a reception mode.

40. A system according to claim 37, wherein at least one node determines if a received signal includes information for said at least one node and processes information in a signal addressed to said at least one node.

41. A system according to claim 37, wherein the nodes transmit signals at frequencies greater than about 1 GHz.

42. A system according to claim 37, wherein the link between two nodes uses simultaneously two or more frequency channels.

43. A system according to claim 37, wherein each node includes a highly directional transmitter.

44. A system according to claim 37, wherein each node includes a highly directional receiver.

45. A system according to claim 37, wherein each node is substantially identical.

46. A system according to claim 45, wherein the system is connected to a conventional trunk network for providing access to other networks.

47. A system according to claim 46, comprising a further node connected by a data connection to one of the nodes of the system and arranged to transfer a signal to or receive a signal from the trunk network or both.

48. A system according to claim 37, wherein a data storage server is connected to or provided at a node.

49. A system according to claim 37, wherein at least one link of a node is arranged to use a first transmission frequency and at least one other link of said node is arranged to use a second transmission frequency.

50. A communications system according to claim 37, wherein said communications system is included in a telecommunications switching device.

51. A system according to claim 37, wherein each node has a direct line-of-sight link with at least one other node such that each node can transmit a signal to another node in line-of-sight with said each node.

52. A system according to claim 37, wherein each node transmits a signal including said information to another node if and only if a signal received at said node includes information for another node.

53. A system according to claim 37, wherein the allocation of time slots to the links can be varied such that a link may be selectively be associated with more than one time slot.

54. A system according to claim 37, wherein at least one node is arranged not to transmit to any other node information in a signal received by said at least one node when that information is addressed to said at least one node.

55. A system according to claim 54, wherein each node is arranged not to transmit to any other node information in a signal received by said at least one node when that information is addressed to said at least one node.