Power- and bandwidth-adaptive in-home wireless communications system with power-grid-powered agents and battery-powered clients

• US 6,751,455 B1
• Filed: 09/15/2000
• Issued: 06/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Original Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Inventors: Acampora, Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): Afshar, Kamran
• Application Number:
  US09/663,068
• Time in Patent Office: 1,369 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41, 455/343, 455/122, 455/126, 455/522, 455/421, 455/422, 455/414, 455/567, 455/402, 455/502, 455/11.1, 455/446, 455/556, 455/566, 455/53.1, 455/448, 370/349, 370/351, 370/352, 370/338, 370/408, 370/350, 709/248, 709/203, 340/825.31, 340/825.34, 379/56, 379/102, 379/96, 379/60, 379/59, 343/853, 343/824, 343/893, 343/751, 700/12, 700/20, 700/275
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/122 by minimising distances, e.g. by selecting a route with minimum of number of hops
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0219 where the power saving management affects multiple terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0296 switching to a backup power supply
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/20 End-user application control systems

Abstract

A radio link management system for a home or office substantially (i) an ad hoc network of agents wirelessly communicating among themselves, while (iii) clients wirelessly communicate with proximate agents. Control of the network may be centralized as network controller integrated with an agent, or may be distributed upon the network of agents. Some agent or agents, which may include an agent that is also the network controller, typically serves as a gateway device which connects to a worldwide communications network external to the home or office, normally by fiber or by wire.

Each agent is most commonly a small radio transceiver plus logic and power supply that mounts upon a wall and plugs directly into an AC power socket. Agents wirelessly communicate among themselves and with the controller—which may be centralized or distributed—in a bandwidth-efficient mode since prime power is not an issue. Each client, which is most commonly a battery-powered user device, wirelessly radio communicates with one or more proximately-located agents. Consistent with overall demand for the radio resource, parameters for radio communication are allocated ad hoc in a manner which is (a) client-dependent, and which (b) uses the least power from the battery-powered client. The agents establish an ad-hoc network among themselves, with routing among and between the agents being both multi-hop and “minimum hop” to conserve bandwidth. Accordingly both power and bandwidth are conserved, each as and where required and desired.

Claims

1. A wireless communications system comprising:

a plurality of communication agents forming a communications mesh to first locally wirelessly radio-communicating between themselves in a local wireless radio communications network, with each communications agent second locally wirelessly radio-communicating with associated ones of plurality of clients; and

a plurality of clients, each performing an additional function other than just radio communication, each client locally wirelessly communicating by radio with at least one associated communications agent, and with no other clients nor any unassociated agents;

wherein each of the plurality of communication agents is powered from a power grid while at least one of the plurality of clients is powered from a portable power source.

2. The communications system according to claim 1 wherein one of the agents that is locally wirelessly radio-communicating with at least one client is also wirelessly radio-communicating to a gateway device communicating upon an external-communications network;

wherein wireless radio communication between the agents is further globally communicated by the gateway device to the external communications network.

3. The communications system according to claim 2 wherein the gateway device globally communicates via a physical communication channel selected from the group consisting of wire and fiber.

4. The communications system according to claim 2 wherein the gateway device globally communicates via an free-space communication channel selected from the group consisting of radio and free-space optical.

5. The communications system according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the clients is drawn from a group consisting of:

telephones;

televisions;

computers;

keypad controllers;

burglar alarms; and

appliances.

6. The communications system according to claim 1 wherein at least some of the clients are not powered from a portable power source and are instead powered from the power grid;

and

where at least some of these at least some clients powered from the power grid are physically housed with some ones of the agents which agents are all, and always, powered from the power grid.

7. The communications system according to claim 1 wherein the radio-communicating between agents upon the network is multi-hop.

8. The communications system according to claim 1 wherein the radio-communicating between the plurality of agents upon the network transpires in a communications protocol that consumes a relatively higher power;

and

wherein the radio-communicating between the plurality of clients and associated ones of the plurality of agents transpires in a communications protocol that consumes a relatively lesser power;

wherein the power consumed by a client, at least one of which is powered from a portable power source, radio communicating with an associated agent, which agent is invariably powered from a power grid, is less than the power, consumed radio-communicating between any two of the plurality of agents.

9. The communications system according to claim 1 wherein the radio-communicating between the plurality of agents upon the network transpires in a communications protocol that consumes a relatively more bandwidth and relatively less time;

and

wherein the radio-communicating between the plurality of clients and the plurality of agents transpires in a communications protocol that consumes relatively less bandwidth and relatively more time;

wherein time and spectrum of radio communication are partitioned.

10. A wireless communications management system wirelessly communicatively interconnecting a plurality of clients, at least one of which is powered from a portable power source and at, least one of which both locally wirelessly communicates by radio and performs some additional function with and for a human user other than just radio communication, the system comprising:

a plurality of communication agents, each powered from a power grid within a home or business, collectively forming a communications mesh, each agent

first locally wirelessly radio-communicating with other agents in a local wireless radio communications network, and

second locally wirelessly radio-communicating with local ones of the plurality of clients, and

the collective agents

registering clients to the communications mesh

maintaining a link to external networks, and

self-organizing the communications mesh.

11. The wireless communications management system according to claim 10 wherein the collective agents are further adapting wireless communications upon the mesh, to any of the numbers, powers and instantaneous communications requirements of the clients then connected on and by the communications mesh.

12. The wireless communications management system according to claim 10 wherein the collective agents are further authenticating visiting clients to the communications mesh.

13. The wireless communications management system according to claim 10 wherein the collective agents maintaining the link to an external networks are maintaining a link to a worldwide communications network.

14. The wireless communications management system according to claim 10 wherein the collective agents self-organizing the communications mesh are implementing the MAC protocol.

15. The wireless communications management system according to claim 10 wherein the collective agents self-organizing the communications mesh are implementing the LLC protocol.

16. The wireless communications management system according to claim 10 wherein the collective agents are further maintaining link addresses for all clients and agents.

17. A two-tier wireless communications system comprising:

a plurality of communication agents

first locally wirelessly radio-communicating between themselves to such extent as wireless connectivity in a local wireless radio communications network permits, the first locally wirelessly radio-communicating transpiring in a first communications tier separate from any other communications tier, with each agent

second wirelessly radio-communicating with one or more uniquely associated clients to such extent as wireless connectivity in a local wireless radio communications network permits, the second wirelessly radio-communicating transpiring in a second communications tier separate from the first and from any other communications tier; and

a plurality of clients each locally wirelessly radio-communicating in a local wireless radio communications network to one or more associated agents, only, with no communication transpiring to any un-associated ones of the plurality of agents, this locally wirelessly radio-communicating transpiring in the second communications tier;

wherein the plurality of communication agents are self-organizing to produce a communications mesh while each of the plurality of clients is capable only of identifying, and communicating to, one or more agents;

wherein the plurality of clients become communicative from one to another only by communication links proceeding through one or more of the plurality of agents.

18. The two-tier wireless communications system according to claim 17 wherein the first locally wirelessly radio-communicating between plurality of agents at the first communications tier is at a first radio frequency;

and

wherein the second locally wirelessly radio-communicating between plurality of agents and associated ones of the plurality of clients at the second communications tier is at a second radio frequency.

19. The two-tier wireless communications system according to claim 17 wherein the first locally wirelessly radio-communicating between plurality of agents at the first communications tier is at a first time interval;

and

wherein the second locally wirelessly radio-communicating between plurality of agents and associated ones of the plurality of clients at the second communications tier is at a second time interval.

20. The two-tier wireless communications system according to claim 17 wherein the first locally-wirelessly radio-communicating between plurality of agents at the first communications tier is at a first code division;

and

wherein the second locally wirelessly radio-communicating between plurality of agents and associated ones of the plurality of clients at the second communications tier is at a second code division.