Wireless multi-point communication system having automatically-updated sector-based routing capabilities

• US 6,781,960 B1
• Filed: 02/16/2000
• Issued: 08/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Charas, Philippe
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi
• Assistant Examiner(s): George, Keith M.
• Application Number:
  US09/504,882
• Time in Patent Office: 1,651 Days
• Field of Search: 370/252, 370/351, 370/352, 370/398, 370/395.21, 370/254, 370/255
• US Class Current: 370/255
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1877 Measures taken prior to transmission

Abstract

A multi-point to multi-point system includes a plurality of multi-point nodes. Each of the multi-point nodes includes a transmitter that broadcasts over at least one sector, a receiver that receives broadcasts over the sectors, a router, and a memory. Sector identifiers corresponding to each sector are stored in the memory and broadcast over their respective sectors. A link routing table is stored in the memory and is used to inform the router of available communication paths for the multi-point node based on receipt of at least one sector identifier from another multi-point node. A root multi-point node that communicates with at least one of the multi-point nodes includes a memory that stores at least one sector identifier. The sector identifier is communicated to at least one of multi-point nodes. A root node link routing table is stored in the memory that includes contents of link routing tables from all of the plurality of multi-point nodes.

Claims

1. A wireless multi-point to multi-point communication system comprising:

a plurality of multi-point nodes, wherein each of said multi-point nodes is associated with one or more antennas operative to transmit or receive within one or more geographical sectors associated with said multi-point node, and wherein each of said plurality of said multi-point nodes includes;

a transmitter that broadcasts over at least one sector;

a receiver that receives broadcasts over said at least one sector;

a router; and

a memory, wherein at least one sector identifier, each corresponding to a single said at least one sector, is stored in said memory and broadcast over a respective said at least one sector, and wherein a routing table is stored in said memory and informs said multi-point node of available communication paths for said multi-point node based on receipt of at least one sector identifier from another one of said plurality of multi-point nodes; and

wherein said system further comprises a root multi-point node that communicates with at least one of said plurality of multi-point nodes, said root multi-point node including;

a memory, wherein said at least one sector identifier is stored in said memory and communicated to said at least one of said plurality of multi-point nodes, and wherein a root node routing table is stored in said memory that includes contents of routing tables from all of the plurality of multi-point nodes.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said root multi-point node also includes:

a transmitter that broadcasts over at least one sector;

a receiver which receives broadcasts over said at least one sector; and

a root router.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said root node routing table is used to inform said root router of all available communication paths for said communication system.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said system is a Local Multipoint Distribution Service system.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said system is a Local Multipoint Communication System.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of multi-point nodes further comprises at least six sector antennas corresponding to at least six sectors.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of multi-point nodes further comprises at least eighteen sector antennas corresponding to at least eighteen sectors.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said router directs communication packets to at least one additional multi-point node based on an intended destination of said packet and said available communication paths stored in said routing table.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of multi-point nodes broadcasts said routing table to said root multi-point node.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said root multi-point node broadcasts routing information to each of said routers in said plurality multi-point nodes.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of multi-point nodes is connected to a base station.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of multi-point nodes is connected to a remote network router.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said remote network router is connected to an IP network.

14. A wireless multi-point node, said multi-point node being associated with one or more antennas operative to transmit or receive within one or more geographical sectors associated with said multi-point node, said wireless multi-point node comprising:

a transmitter that broadcasts over at least one sector;

a receiver which receives broadcasts over said at least one sector, a router; and

a memory,

wherein at least one sector identifier each corresponding to a single at least one sector is stored in said memory and broadcast over a corresponding said at least one sector,

wherein said receiver receive at least one sector identifier each corresponding to a sector of another multi-point node, and

wherein a routing table, based on receipt of said at least one sector identifier, is stored in said memory and informs said multi-point node of available communication paths for said multi-point node.

15. The multi-point node of claim 14, wherein said multi-point node operates in a Local Multipoint Distribution Service system.

16. The multi-point node of claim 14, wherein said multi-point node operates in a Local Multipoint Communication System.

17. The multi-point node of claim 14, wherein said multi-point node further comprises at least six sector antennas corresponding to at least six sectors.

18. The multi-point node of claim 14, wherein said multi-point node further comprises at least eighteen sector antennas corresponding to at least eighteen sectors.

19. The multi-point node of claim 14, wherein said router directs communication packets to at least one additional multi-point node based on an intended destination of said packet and said available communication paths stored in said routing table.

20. The multi-point node of claim 14, wherein said multi-point node broadcasts said routing table to a root multi-point node.

21. The multi-point node of claim 14, wherein said multi-point node is connected to a base station.

22. The multi-point node of claim 14, wherein said multi-point node is connected to a remote network router.

23. The multi-point node of claim 22, wherein said remote network router is connected to an IP network.

24. A method for communicating in a wireless multi-point network, said network including a plurality of wireless multi-point nodes, each of said multi-point nodes being associated with one or more antennas operative to transmit or receive within one or more geographical sectors associated with said multi-point node, said method comprising the steps of:

maintaining a routing table in each of said plurality of multi-point nodes, wherein said routing table includes a sector identifier and a link quality field of all sectors of neighboring multi-point nodes which have a link quality above a predetermined threshold;

transmitting each of said routing tables for each of said plurality of multi-point nodes to a root multi-point node.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said method further comprises the step of:

maintaining a root routing table that includes contents of each of said routing tables; and

broadcasting a master routing table based on said root routing table to said plurality of multi-point nodes.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein said maintaining and broadcasting steps are repeated periodically.

27. The method of claim 24 wherein said maintaining and broadcasting steps are repeated 5-100 times a second.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein said network is a Local Multipoint Distribution Service network.

29. The method of claim 24, wherein said network is a Local Multipoint Communication System network.

30. The method of claim 24, wherein at least one of said plurality of multi-point nodes includes at least six sectors.

31. The method of claim 24, wherein at least one of said plurality of multi-point nodes further includes at least eighteen sectors.

32. The method of claim 24, wherein at least one of said plurality of multi-point nodes is connected to a base station.

33. The method of claim 24, wherein at least one of said plurality of multi-point nodes is connected to a remote network router.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein said remote network router is connected to an IP network.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein said method further comprises the step of:

directing communication packets from one multi-point node to another multi-point node based on an intended destination of said packet and said available communication paths stored in said routing table in at least one of said plurality of multi-point nodes.

36. A method of operating a wireless multi-point node, wherein said multi-point node is associated with one or more antennas operative to transmit or receive within one or more geographical sectors associated with said multi-point node, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving a signal from at least one sector of at least one other wireless multi-point node;

measuring a link quality of said received signal;

storing, in a routing table, a sector identifier and a link quality value identifying said at least one sector if said link quality exceeds a predetermined threshold value; and

sending said routing table to a root multi-point node.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein said measuring, storing, and sending steps are repeated periodically.

38. The method of claim 36 wherein said measuring, storing, and sending steps are repeated periodically 5-100 times a second.

39. The method of claim 36, said method further comprising the step of:

receiving, from said root multi-point node, contents of routing tables from a plurality of multi-point nodes.

40. The method of claim 36, said method further comprising the step of:

routing packets from said multi-point node to said at least one other multi-point node based on said routing table.

41. The method of claim 36, said method further comprising the step of:

receiving contents of other routing tables corresponding to at least one other multi-point node; and

routing packets from said multi-point node to said at least one other multi-point node based on said routing table and said contents of said other routing tables.

42. The method of claim 36, wherein said multi-point node includes at least six sectors.

43. The method of claim 36, wherein said multi-point node Includes at least eighteen sectors.

44. The method of claim 36, wherein said multi-point node is connected to a base station.

45. The method of claim 36, wherein said multi-point node is connected to a remote network router.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein said remote network router is connected to an IP network.