Movable access points and repeaters for minimizing coverage and capacity constraints in a wireless communications network and a method for using the same

• US 7,206,294 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2001
• Issued: 04/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MeshNetworks, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Stanforth, Peter J., Garahi, Masood
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi
• Assistant Examiner(s): ABELSON, RONALD B
• Application Number:
  US09/929,030
• Publication Number:
  US 20030091010A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,071 Days
• Field of Search: 370/310.2, 370313-315, 370/327, 370/338, 370/328, 370/331, 370/340, 370348-349, 370/334, 455/466, 455/11.1, 455/561, 455/446, 455/449, 455/447, 342/357.09, 342/357.12, 342/357.06
• US Class Current: 370/315
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A system and method for improving the ability of a wireless communications network, such as a packet-switched data communications network, to provide service to mobile user terminals. The system and method employs a mobile access point, adapted for use with the packet-switched communications network comprising at least one fixed access point, to provide a mobile wireless user terminal with access to the network, and a method for using the same. The mobile access point comprises at least one transceiver, which can be mounted to a mobile vehicle and receive substantially constant power from the vehicle, and which is adapted to transmit and receive communications signals to and from the wireless user terminal, and to operate as a communications link between the wireless user terminal and the fixed access point, to provide the wireless user terminal with access to the network via the communications link. The transceiver is further adapted to provide a second communications link between the user terminal an another user terminal, or between the mobile access point and another mobile access point of the network. The mobile access point further includes technology, such as global positioning system (GPS) technology, which adapted to determine a geographic location of the mobile access point.

Claims

1. A mobile access point, adapted for use with a packet-switched communications network comprising at least one fixed access point, to provide a mobile wireless user terminal with access to the network while said mobile access point is moving, said mobile access point comprising:

at least one transceiver, adapted to transmit and receive communications signals to and from said wireless user terminal, and including a wireless backhaul, adapted to communicate with said fixed access point to enable said at least one transceiver to operate as a communications link between said wireless user terminal and said fixed access point, to provide said wireless user terminal with access to said network via said communications link while said mobile access point is moving; and

a structure, adapted to house said at least one transceiver, and being adapted to mount on or in a mobile vehicle,

wherein the packet-switched communications network includes a wireless ad-hoc peer-to-peer network, and said mobile access point and said at least one fixed access point operate in the wireless ad-hoc peer-to-peer network and communicate with each other via the wireless backhaul.

2. A mobile access point as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a power connection, adapted to couple to a substantially constant power supply, to provide substantially constant power to said transceiver.

3. A mobile access point as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

said power connection is adapted to coupled to said substantially constant power supply of said vehicle.

4. A mobile access point as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

said transceiver is further adapted to provide a second communications link between said user terminal an another user terminal.

5. A mobile access point as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

said transceiver is further adapted to provide a second communications link with another mobile access point adapted for use with said network.

6. A mobile access point as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a location determiner, adapted to determine a geographic location of said mobile access point.

7. A mobile access point as claimed in claim 6, wherein:

said location determiner includes a global positioning system (GPS) receiver.

18. A mobile access point as claimed in claim 1, comprising a plurality of said transceivers, each comprising a respective wireless backhaul and being adapted to communicate with at least one of said fixed access points via its respective wireless backhaul.

8. A method for providing a mobile access point in a packet-switched communications network comprising at least one fixed access point, to provide a mobile wireless user terminal with access to the network, while said mobile access point is moving, said method comprising:

coupling a mobile access point to a mobile vehicle;

transmitting and receiving communications signals between said mobile access point and said wireless user terminal while said mobile access point is moving; and

establishing a communications link between said mobile access point and said fixed access point via a wireless backhaul, such that said communications link provides said wireless user terminal access to said network via said fixed access point while said mobile access point is moving,

wherein the packet-switched communications network includes a wireless ad-hoc peer-to-peer network, and said mobile access point and said at least one fixed access point operate in the wireless ad-hoc peer-to-peer network and communicate with each other via the wireless backhaul.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8, further comprising:

providing substantially constant power to said mobile access point.

10. A method as claimed in claim 9, wherein:

said providing provides said substantially constant power from a power supply of said vehicle.

11. A method as claimed in claim 8, further comprising:

using said mobile access point to provide a second communications link between said user terminal and another user terminal.

12. A method as claimed in claim 8, further comprising:

providing a second communications link between said mobile access point and another mobile access point adapted for use with said network.

13. A method as claimed in claim 8, further comprising:

determining a geographic location of said mobile access point.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein:

said location determining includes using global positioning system (GPS) technology to determine said geographic location of said mobile access point.

20. A method as claimed in claim 8, further comprising:

establishing a second communications link between said mobile access point and another said fixed access point via another wireless backhaul, such that said second communications link provides another wireless user terminal access to said network via said another fixed access point while said mobile access point is moving.

15. A mobile access point, adapted for use with a packet-switched communications network comprising at least one fixed access point, to provide a mobile wireless user terminal with access to the network, said mobile access point comprising:

at least one transceiver, adapted to transmit and receive communications signals to and from said wireless user terminal, and to operate as a communications link between said wireless user terminal and said fixed access point, to provide said wireless user terminal with access to said network via said communications link;

a structure, adapted to house said at least one transceiver, and being adapted to mount on or in a mobile vehicle; and

a power connection, adapted to couple to a substantially constant power supply of said vehicle, to provide substantially constant power to said transceiver,

wherein the packet-switched communications network includes a wireless ad-hoc peer-to-peer network, and said mobile access point and said at least one fixed access point operate in the wireless ad-hoc peer-to-peer network and communicate with each other via the wireless backhaul.

16. A method for providing a mobile access point in a packet-switched communications network comprising at least one fixed access point, to provide a mobile wireless user terminal with access to the network, said method comprising:

coupling a mobile access point to a mobile vehicle; and

transmitting and receiving communications signals between said mobile access terminal and said wireless user terminal;

establishing a communications link between said mobile access terminal and said fixed access point, such that said communications link provides said wireless user terminal access to said network via said fixed access point; and

providing substantially constant power to said mobile access point from a power supply of said vehicle,

wherein the packet-switched communications network includes a wireless ad-hoc peer-to-peer network, and said mobile access point and said at least one fixed access point operate in the wireless ad-hoc peer-to-peer network and communicate with each other via the wireless backhaul.

17. A mobile access point, adapted for use with a packet-switched communications network comprising at least one fixed access point, to provide a mobile wireless user terminal with access to the network while said mobile access point is moving, said mobile access point comprising:

at least one transceiver, adapted to transmit and receive communications signals to and from said wireless user terminal, and including a wireless backhaul comprising a microwave backhaul, said wireless backhaul adapted to communicate with said fixed access point to enable said at least one transceiver to operate as a communications link between said wireless user terminal and said fixed access point, to provide said wireless user terminal with access to said network via said communications link while said mobile access point is moving; and

a structure, adapted to house said at least one transceiver, and being adapted to mount on or in a mobile vehicle.

19. A method for providing a mobile access point in a packet-switched communications network comprising at least one fixed access point, to provide a mobile wireless user terminal with access to the network while said mobile access point is moving, said method comprising:

coupling a mobile access point to a mobile vehicle;

transmitting and receiving communications signals between said mobile access point and said wireless user terminal while said mobile access point is moving; and

establishing a communications link between said mobile access point and said fixed access point via a wireless backhaul, wherein said wireless backhaul includes a microwave backhaul, such that said communications link provides said wireless user terminal access to said network via said fixed access point while said mobile access point is moving.

21. A mobile access point, adapted for use with a packet-switched communications network comprising at least one fixed access point, to provide a mobile wireless user terminal with access to the network while said mobile access point is moving, said mobile access point comprising:

at least one transceiver, adapted to transmit and receive communications signals to and from said wireless user terminal, and to operate as a communications link between said wireless user terminal and said fixed access point, to provide said wireless user terminal with access to said network via said communications link while said mobile access point is moving;

a structure, adapted to house said at least one transceiver, and being adapted to mount on or in a mobile vehicle; and

a power connection, adapted to couple to a substantially constant power supply of said vehicle, to provide substantially constant power to said transceiver,

wherein the packet-switched communications network includes a wireless ad-hoc peer-to-peer network, and said mobile access point and said at least one fixed access point operate in the wireless ad-hoc peer-to-peer network and communicate with each other via the wireless backhaul.

22. A mobile access point, adapted for use with a packet-switched communications network comprising at least one fixed access point, to provide a mobile wireless user terminal with access to the network while said mobile access point is moving, said mobile access point comprising:

at least one transceiver, adapted to transmit and receive communications signals to and from said wireless user terminal, and to operate as a communications link between said wireless user terminal and said fixed access point, to provide said wireless user terminal with access to said network via said communications link while said mobile access point is moving; and

a structure, adapted to house said at least one transceiver, and being adapted to mount on or in a mobile vehicle; and

wherein said transceiver is further adapted to provide a second communications link between said user terminal and another user terminal,

wherein the packet-switched communications network includes a wireless ad-hoc peer-to-peer network, and said mobile access point and said at least one fixed access point operate in the wireless ad-hoc peer-to-peer network and communicate with each other via the wireless backhaul.

23. A method for providing a mobile access point in a packet-switched communications network comprising at least one fixed access point, to provide a mobile wireless user terminal with access to the network while said mobile access point is moving, said method comprising:

coupling a mobile access point to a mobile vehicle;

transmitting and receiving communications signals between said mobile access terminal and said wireless user terminal while said mobile access point is moving;

establishing a communications link between said mobile access terminal and said fixed access point, such that said communications link provides said wireless user terminal access to said network via said fixed access point while said mobile access point is moving; and

providing substantially constant power to said mobile access point from a power supply of said vehicles,

wherein the packet-switched communications network includes a wireless ad-hoc peer-to-peer network, and said mobile access point and said at least one fixed access point operate in the wireless ad-hoc peer-to-peer network and communicate with each other via the wireless backhaul.

24. A method for providing a mobile access point in a packet-switched communications network comprising at least one fixed access point, to provide a mobile wireless user terminal with access to the network while said mobile access point is moving, said method comprising:

coupling a mobile access point to a mobile vehicle;

transmitting and receiving communications signals between said mobile access terminal and said wireless user terminal while said mobile access point is moving;

establishing a communications link between said mobile access terminal and said fixed access point, such that said communications link provides said wireless user terminal access to said network via said fixed access point while said mobile access point is moving; and

using said mobile access point to provide a second communications link between said user terminal and another user terminal,

wherein the packet-switched communications network includes a wireless ad-hoc peer-to-peer network, and said mobile access point and said at least one fixed access point operate in the wireless ad-hoc peer-to-peer network and communicate with each other via the wireless backhaul.