Universal broadband home network for scalable IEEE 802.11 based wireless and wireline networking

• US 6,947,736 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2002
• Issued: 09/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maxlinear Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Curtis, Ricky, Riley, Terence J., Timm, William C., Ho, Jin-Meng, Chhaya, Harshal S., Shaver, Donald P., Ali, Murtaza
• Primary Examiner(s): TIEU, BINH KIEN
• Application Number:
  US10/299,729
• Publication Number:
  US 20030114153A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,036 Days
• Field of Search: 455/424, 455/426.2, 455/428, 455/462, 455/463, 455/73, 455/74.1, 455/552.1, 455/554.2, 455/553.1, 455555-5567, 455/557, 379/93.05, 379/93.07, 379/93.11, 379/399.1, 379/413.02, 37941303-41304, 370/401, 370/463, 370/466
• US Class Current: 455/424
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5408 using protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5437 Wired telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5441 Wireless systems or telephone
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5445 Local network
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5479 using repeaters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/542 the information being in digital form
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2832 Interconnection of the control functionalities between home networks single bridge functionality H04L12/4625
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2841 Wireless
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2843 Mains power line
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2845 Telephone line
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/10 adapted for operation in multiple networks, e.g. multi-mode access points
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The present home networking method and system is based on the IEEE 802.11 wireless networking standard expanded to encompass home phone line media communication and/or home power line media communication operation seamlessly. For each station in home network (i.e., wireless, phone line and power line), the protocol stack at the PHY layer and above, QoS, and network security are all based on the 802.11 standard. Chipset implementations differ in an applied analog interface that is specific to the respective medium. Station-to-station transmission between wireless and wired terminals is enabled via an intelligent access point which includes an analog interface for each of the medium types. Further, each station can be configured with the appropriate analog interface to communicate directly with any wireless station. The access point is also expandable to form extended service sets.

Claims

1. A system of networking wireless and wireline communications, comprising:

a plurality of transmission mediums operable for data transmission in a home environment;

a plurality of station types operable to communication through said plurality of transmission mediums, each of said station types is operable to communicate through one of said plurality of transmission mediums;

an access point realized within the home environment and operable to communication through each of said plurality of transmission mediums, said access point operable to coordinate communication between disparate station types through corresponding ones of said plurality of transmission mediums.

2. The system of claim 1 further including a plurality of front end devices operable to interface said access point to said plurality of transmission mediums, wherein each of said front end devices is adapted to provide modulation and demodulation functionality compatible with a corresponding one of said plurality of transmission mediums.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said front end devices are operatively interchangeable with said plurality of station types for interfacing with said plurality of transmission mediums.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein said access point further includes a digital transceiver interchangeably connectable to any of said plurality of front end devices and operable for providing protocol and control functionality for communications between disparate station types.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said digital transceiver includes an baseband physical layer compatible with the IEEE802.11 wireless networking standard and a Medium Access Control compatible with the IEEE802.11 wireless networking standard.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of transmission mediums include power line medium, phone line medium and wireless medium.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said access point includes three front end devices one for each of said power line medium, said phone line medium and said wireless medium, wherein said front end devices provides modulation and demodulation functionality compatible with a corresponding one of said plurality of transmission mediums.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said station types include a power line station which includes a front end device operatively compatible with said power line medium, a phone line station which includes a front end device operatively compatible with said phone line medium, and a wireless station which includes a front end device operatively compatible with said wireless medium, wherein said front end devices provides modulation and demodulation functionality compatible with a corresponding one of said plurality of transmission mediums.

9. The system of claim 8 further including a repeater station, wherein said repeater station includes a wireless front end device and one of a power line front end device and a phone line front end device.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said access point includes a digital transceiver having a medium access controller operatively compatible with wire line and wireless transmission medium and coupled to a first baseband physical layer being operatively compatible with communications to wire line station types through a wire line transmission medium and a second baseband physical layer being operatively compatible with communications to wireless station types through a wireless transmission medium, said medium access controller providing protocol and control of data transfer to and from said first baseband physical layer and said second baseband physical layer.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said access point includes a digital transceiver having a first medium access controller operatively compatible with wire line transmission medium and a second medium access controller operatively compatible with wireless transmission medium, said first medium access controller being coupled to a first baseband physical layer being operatively compatible with communications to wire line station types through a wire line transmission medium, said second medium access controller being coupled to a second baseband physical layer being operatively compatible with communications to wireless station types through a wireless transmission medium, said first medium access controller providing protocol and control of data transfer to and from said first baseband physical layer and said second medium access controller providing protocol and control of data transfer to and from said second baseband physical layer.

12. A system of networking communications through wireless and wireline transmission mediums, comprising:

a first plurality of wireless user stations adapted to transceive data through the wireless transmission medium;

a first plurality of wireline user stations adapted to transceive data through the wireline transmission medium; and

an access point in communication with each of said first plurality of wireless user stations and said first plurality of wireline user stations and adapted to coordinate communication there between through respective transmission mediums, said access point including;

a first baseband physical layer operatively compatible with the wireless transmission medium;

a second baseband physical layer operatively compatible with the wireline transmission medium;

a media access control operatively compatible with the wireless and wireline transmission mediums and coupled to said first baseband physical layer and said second baseband physical layer, said media access control adapted to provide protocol and control of data transfer to and from said baseband layers.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said first baseband physical layer, said second baseband physical layer, and said media access control are modular, wherein wireless user stations also include said first baseband physical layer and said media access control, and wherein said wireline user stations include said second baseband physical layer and said media access control.

14. The system of claim 13 further including a second plurality of wireless user stations in communication with said access point second baseband physical layer through the wireline transmission medium via a first remote access point, and further including a second plurality of wireline user stations in communication with said access point first baseband physical layer through the wireless transmission medium via a second remote access point.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said first remote access point includes a modular first baseband physical layer in communication with said second plurality of wireless user stations and a modular second baseband physical layer in communication with said access point first baseband physical layer, said first remote access point further including a modular media access control coupling to each of said modular first baseband physical layer and said modular second baseband physical layer.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein said second remote access point includes a modular first baseband physical layer in communication with said access point first baseband physical layer and a modular second baseband physical layer in communication with said second plurality of wireline user stations, said second remote access point further including a modular media access control coupling to each of said modular first baseband physical layer and said modular second baseband physical layer.

17. An apparatus for networking a plurality of station types in a home environment, comprising:

a medium dependent mixed signal section connectable to a plurality of transmission mediums and operable for receiving arid transmitting analog signals through said plurality of transmission mediums, wherein each of the plurality of station types communicate through one of said plurality of transmission mediums; and

a medium independent digital transceiver section coupled to said medium dependent mixed signal section and having a baseband physical layer being operatively compatible with each of said plurality of transmission mediums and a media access controller adapted to provide the protocol and control of data transferred to and from said baseband physical layer for enabling communications between disparate station types.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said medium dependent mixed signal section includes a plurality of interchangeable front end devices operable to interface said medium independent digital transceiver section to said plurality of transmission mediums, wherein each of said front end devices is adapted to provide modulation and demodulation functionality compatible with a corresponding one of said plurality of transmission mediums.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein said plurality of transmission mediums include power line medium, phone line medium and wireless medium.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said medium dependent mixed signal section includes three front end devices one for each of said power line medium, said phone line medium and said wireless medium, wherein said front end devices provides modulation and demodulation functionality compatible with a corresponding one of said plurality of transmission mediums.