Wireless control network with scheduled time slots
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A building monitoring system utilizing bi-directional radio frequency communication comprising:
- at least one master unit including a radio frequency transmitter and receiver;
a plurality of remote units having a radio frequency transmitter and receiver, said remote units capable of transmitting to and receiving from said master unit; and
said master unit includes a master scheduler that provides non-colliding predetermined remote transmission times for each of said remote units, wherein there is greater than 1 second between scheduled remote transmission times for at least some of the selected remote units, said remote units have a timer coupled to a controller for enabling said remote units to communicate at said predetermined remote transmission times with said master unit.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A building monitoring system is disclosed that includes a bi-directional radio link between a master and a number of remote units, wherein the master unit schedules the transmission times of the remote units to avoid collisions.
-
Citations
34 Claims
-
1. A building monitoring system utilizing bi-directional radio frequency communication comprising:
-
at least one master unit including a radio frequency transmitter and receiver;
a plurality of remote units having a radio frequency transmitter and receiver, said remote units capable of transmitting to and receiving from said master unit; and
said master unit includes a master scheduler that provides non-colliding predetermined remote transmission times for each of said remote units, wherein there is greater than 1 second between scheduled remote transmission times for at least some of the selected remote units, said remote units have a timer coupled to a controller for enabling said remote units to communicate at said predetermined remote transmission times with said master unit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
-
-
9. A bi-directional building monitoring system comprising:
-
at least one master unit including means for wireless transmission and reception of data;
a plurality of remote units, wherein each of said remote units include means for wireless transmission of data to said master unit and means for wireless reception of data from said master unit, said remote units fiber include means for sensing external conditions and generating external sensor data;
means for calculating a schedule of periodic transmissions from said remote units to said master unit, wherein there is greater than 1 second between periodic transmissions for at least some of the selected remote units;
wherein said means for transmitting from said master unit to said remote units includes means for transmitting at least part of said schedule to said remote units; and
timing means in said remote units for enabling said remote units to transmit said external sensor data to said master unit in accordance with said schedule.
-
-
10. A method for allowing a remote unit to communicate with a master unit in a building monitoring system that has at least one master unit including a radio frequency transmitter and receiver, and a plurality of remote units having a radio frequency transmitter and receiver, said remote units capable of transmitting to and receiving messages from said master unit, the method comprising:
-
determining a remote unit transmission time for each remote unit to communicate with said master unit such that each of said remote unit times do not collide with each other, wherein there is greater than 1 second between remote unit transmission times for at least some of the remote units;
b. transmitting each remote unit time to a corresponding remote unit;
c. detecting when the remote unit transmission time arrives for each remote unit; and
d. communication a message between a corresponding remote unit and said master unit when each remote unit transmission time is detected. - View Dependent Claims (11)
-
-
12. A method for scheduling remote unit radio frequency message transmissions in a building monitoring system, the method comprising:
-
a. providing at least one master unit including a radio frequency transceiver, and a controller for operating said receiver;
b. providing a plurality of remote units, wherein said remote units include a radio frequency transceiver capable of transmitting to said master unit transceiver and capable of receiving from said master unit transceiver, wherein said remote units have a target transmission period for transmitting a complete message to the master unit;
c. providing means in said mater unit for calculating a mater schedule of predetermined remote unit transmission times for said remote its, wherein said predetermined remote unit transmission times are based at least in part on said remote unit target transmission periods, such that collisions are avoided between said predetermined transmissions;
d. calculating said master schedule of predetermined remote unit mission times based at least in part on said remote unit target transmission periods;
e. transmitting timing instruction based on said master schedule from said master unit to said remote units; and
transmitting messages from said remote units to said master unit at times based on said timing instructions. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
-
-
27. A method for operating a bi-directional radio frequency building monitoring system master unit including at least one master unit having a controller coupled to a transceiver, aid a plurality of remote units each having a transceiver, the master unit having a computer processor and a time ordered data structure including a plurality of elements, said data structure elements having predetermined transmission times including at least one predetermined transmission time for each of said remote units having predetermined transmission times, the method comprising the steps of said computer processor executing at least the following steps:
-
a traversing said data structure, and, for each data structure element having at least one of said remote unit predetermined times;
b. waiting upon either a transmission from said remote unit associated with said data structure element or a timeout without receiving a transmission from said remote unit;
c. upon reception of said transmission from said remote unit, transmitting an acknowledgement of said received transmission and transmitting a time signal for next remote transmission, said time signal being consistent with said predetermined transmission time contained in said element, and advancing to said next time ordered data structure element and executing step b; and
d. upon timeout without receiving said transmission from said remote, advancing to said next time ordered data structure element and executing step b. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30)
-
-
31. A building monitoring system utilizing bi-directional radio frequency communication comprising:
-
at least one master unit including a radio frequency transmitter and receiver;
a plurality of remote units having a radio frequency transmitter and receiver and at least one sensor, said remote units capable of transmitting to and receiving from said master unit, said remote units also adapted to transmit a message including sensor data to said master unit; and
said master unit includes a master scheduler that provides non-colliding predetermined remote transmission times for each of said remote units, said remote units have a timer coupled to a controller for enabling said remote units to communicate and deliver a complete message including the sensor data to the master unit during each of at least selected predetermined remote transmission times.
-
-
32. A bi-directional building monitoring system comprising:
-
at least one master unit including means for wireless transmission and reception of data;
a plurality of remote units, wherein each of said remote units include means for wireless transmission of data to said master unit and means for wireless reception of data from said master unit, at least selected remote units further including means for sensing external conditions and generating external sensor data;
means for calculating a schedule of transmissions from said remote units to said master unit;
wherein said means for transmitting from said master unit to said remote units includes means for transmitting at least part of said schedule to said remote units; and
timing means in said remote units for enabling said remote unit to transmit said external sensor data to said master unit during each of at least selected scheduled transmissions in accordance with said schedule.
-
-
33. A building monitoring system utilizing bi-directional radio frequency communication comprising:
-
at least one master unit including a radio frequency transmitter and receiver;
a plurality of remote units having a radio frequency transmitter and receiver, said remote units capable of transmitting to and receiving from said master unit; and
said master unit includes a master scheduler that provides non-colliding predetermined communication times for each of said remote units, said remote units have a timer coupled to a controller for enabling said remote units to communicate at said predetermined communication times with said master unit, said master unit transmitting a next predetermined communication time to each of at least selected remote units after reception during a current predetermined communication time.
-
-
34. A building monitoring system utilizing bi-directional radio frequency communication comprising:
-
at least one master unit including a radio frequency transmitter and receiver;
a plurality of remote units having a radio frequency transmitter and receiver, said remote units capable of transmitting to and receiving from said master unit and further having one or more sensors for sensing one or more environmental variables; and
said master unit includes a master scheduler that provides non-colliding predetermined communication times for each of said remote units, said remote units have a timer coupled to a controller for enabling said remote units to communicate at said predetermined communication times with said master unit, said predetermined times provided by the master scheduler for at least selected remote units being dependent on the expected rate of change of the one or more environmental variables sensed by the one or more sensors of the selected remote units.
-
Specification