Ad hoc peer-to-peer mobile radio access system interfaced to the PSTN and cellular networks

• US 7,072,650 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2001
• Issued: 07/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Strong Force IoT Portfolio 2016, LLC (Strong Force Intellectual Capital, LLC)
• Original Assignee: MeshNetworks, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stanforth, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Corsaro, Nick
• Application Number:
  US09/897,790
• Publication Number:
  US 20020058502A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,831 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2, 455/11.1, 455/426.2, 455/555, 455/518, 370/338
• US Class Current: 455/426.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/00 Communication routing or communication path finding
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/08 based on transmission power
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/246 Connectivity information discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/248 Connectivity information update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/30 for proactive routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/00 Wireless channel access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/042 Public Land Mobile systems, e.g. cellular systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

An ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio access system for cellular communications systems using time division duplex as a way of maximizing the bits/hz/km2 for cellular systems. The network architecture of the ad-hoc system allows the radio access to be integrated with the fixed components of a conventional cellular system, PSTN or ISP. The objective is to make the system of the invention transparent to the features and services provided by the external network. The advantages of such a system to a cellular operator are that significantly less infrastructure is required, and that the RF spectrum is more efficiently utilized resulting in much lower building and operating costs. The system architecture is comprised of remote terminals, routers, gateways, and at least one gateway controller that interfaces the ad-hoc system to a cellular network system. The ad-hoc system of the invention allows for both voice and data transmissions and receptions.

Claims

1. An ad-hoc radio system comprising:

a series of remote radio terminals each comprising a radio transceiver and a control processor, said control processor comprising software means for determining a routing path of a call, for communicating with other said radio terminals, and for establishing the respective said radio terminal as a hop for other said radio terminals during a call-connection;

a plurality of gateways, each said gateway being in operative communication with at least some of said series of remote radio terminals;

a gateway controller in operative communication with said plurality of gateways;

said gateway controller comprising call control and routing means for directing calls to a destination, and interconnecting means for connecting said series of remote radio terminals to an external network, whereby originating calls from a said radio terminal may be directed to a destination serviced by the external network and calls originating from the external network may be directed to a said radio terminal;

said call control and routing means comprising routing information means for directing an originating call from a said radio terminal via a said gateway to an external network, and for directing a call from an external network to a said radio terminal via a said gateway; and

a plurality of wireless routers operatively connected between said series of remote terminals and said plurality of gateways for wirelessly interconnecting said series of radio terminals and for wirelessly interconnecting said series of radio terminals to said plurality of gateways, whereby said remote radio terminals may indirectly communicate with each other and said gateways through one or more said wireless routers.

2. The ad-hoc radio system according to claim 1, wherein said interconnecting means comprises means for connecting to one of a:

switched cellular network, a PSTN, and an Internet Service Provider (ISP).

3. The ad-hoc radio system according to claim 2, wherein said interconnecting means further comprises interfacing means for translating identifying information received from a switched cellular network and for translating identifying information received from a said gateway.