Method and device for distributing communication signals

• US 7,388,886 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2003
• Issued: 06/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ARRIS Enterprises LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kyperountas, Spyros, Perkins, Matthew R.
• Primary Examiner(s): ABELSON, RONALD B
• Application Number:
  US10/414,838
• Publication Number:
  US 20040208152A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,889 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/507
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information

Abstract

A communications network (100) has coordinator devices (10) each transmitting a beacon message in a cluster area (30). Neighboring coordinator devices (1, 2) define overlap areas (60) in which each beacon message of the neighboring coordinator devices is present. Neighboring coordinator devices (1, 2) may also define non-overlap areas (204) in which each beacon message is present. A method for distributing communication signals includes providing nodes (50), (51,52) within a transmission region (30) of the coordinator devices (1, 2). The node (50) or nodes (51, 52) detect at least one beacon message of the neighboring coordinator devices (1, 2), determine the existence of a condition (302), and warn neighboring coordinator devices of the condition. The condition (302) is corrected by making an adjustment to the communication signal (such as beacon timing) by a correction amount (304).

Claims

1. A method for distributing communication signals, which comprises:

providing an ad-hoc mesh network of communications coordinator devices each transmitting a beacon message in a transmission range defining a cluster area, defining a transmission region with a sum of all cluster areas, defining respective cluster overlap areas with neighboring coordinator devices in which overlap areas each beacon message of the neighboring coordinator devices is present;

providing mobile communications nodes within the transmission region, the nodes defining at least one border node when at least one of the nodes is positioned in a cluster overlap area;

detecting the at least one beacon message of the neighboring coordinator devices in a cluster overlap area with the at least one border node and determining, with the at least one border node, if an overlap warning condition exists for at least two of the neighboring coordinator devices;

warning, with the at least one border node, at least one of the at least two neighboring coordinator devices of an existing overlap warning condition; and

correcting the overlap warning condition of the at least two neighboring coordinator devices by adjusting a timing of the beacon message of the at least one neighboring coordinator device by a correction amount.

2. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises correcting currently occurring beacon overlap or impending beacon overlap of the at least two neighboring coordinator devices by adjusting the timing of the beacon message of the at least one neighboring coordinator device by the correction amount.

3. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises:

determining an overlap, a drift, a proximity, and a drift rate of beacon messages of the neighboring coordinator devices with the at least one border node; and

determining the overlap warning condition dependent upon at least one of the overlap, the drift, the proximity, and the drift rate.

4. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises defining the overlap warning condition as an impending beacon overlap or a currently occurring beacon overlap.

5. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises carrying out the warning step by transmitting the warning only to one of the at least two neighboring coordinator devices having a beacon message initiation time later than a beacon message initiation time of another one of the at least two neighboring coordinator devices.

6. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises carrying out the correcting step by correcting the overlap warning condition with only one of the at least two neighboring coordinator devices, the one of the at least two neighboring coordinator devices being a neighboring coordinator device having a beacon message initiation time later than a beacon message initiation time of another one of the at least two neighboring coordinator devices.

7. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises carrying out the correcting step by:

defining a beacon guarding time; and

running a distributing algorithm comprising the steps of;

determining beacon message initiation times for each of the at least two neighboring coordinator devices;

determining a latest one of the beacon message initiation times;

setting a difference sum by subtracting an earlier one of the beacon message initiation times from the latest one of the beacon message initiation times;

setting a beacon adjust sum to be at least as great as a sum of the difference sum and the beacon guarding time; and

adjusting the latest one of the beacon message initiation times by the beacon adjust sum.

8. The method according to claim 7, which further comprises:

defining a superframe of the ad-hoc mesh network; and

individually running the distribution algorithm during each superframe with at least one of the at least two neighboring coordinator devices receiving the warning of the existing overlap warning condition.

9. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises:

defining a superframe of the ad-hoc mesh network; and

performing the detecting, determining, warning, and correcting steps with each border node during a superframe.

10. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises transmitting each beacon message at a randomly selected time.

11. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises transmitting each beacon message with a beacon having a given beacon message rate.

12. The method according to claim 11, which further comprises providing each beacon of the at least two coordinator devices with an individual beacon message rate.

13. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises disposing each of the coordinator devices outside a transmission range of another neighboring one of the coordinator devices.

14. The method according to claim 1, which further comprises permitting two of the at least two communications coordinator devices to share the same beacon message transmitting time when cluster areas of the two communications coordinator devices do not physically overlap.

15. A method for carrying out wireless communications, which comprises:

applying the method for distributing communication signals of claim 1 in a wireless electronic communications network selected from the group consisting of a logistics network, an asset management network, an inventory management network, a building management network, a home automation network, a disaster recovery network, and a wartime intelligence network.

16. A device for analyzing communications signals in a network of coordinator devices having cluster overlap areas, comprising:

an agent having;

means for detecting beacon messages of coordinator devices; and

a processor connected to said detecting means, said processor being programmed to determine at least one of an overlap, a drift, a proximity, and a drift rate of the beacon messages of neighboring coordinator devices, said processor further programmed to;

define a beacon guarding time; and

run a distributing algorithm programmed to;

determine beacon message initiation times for each of the at least two neighboring coordinator devices;

determine a latest one of the beacon message initiation times;

set a difference sum by subtracting an earlier one of the beacon message initiation times from the latest one of the beacon message initiation times;

set a beacon adjust sum to be at least as great as a sum of the difference sum and the beacon guarding time; and

adjust the latest one of the beacon message initiation times by the beacon adjust sum.

17. A device for warning coordinator devices having cluster overlap areas, said device comprising:

an agent having;

a beacon message detector adapted to detect beacon messages of coordinator devices; and

a processor connected to said detector, said processor being programmed to determine if beacon messages of neighboring coordinator devices are currently overlapping or will be overlapping, said processor further programmed to;

define a beacon guarding time; and

run a distributing algorithm programmed to;

determining beacon message initiation times for each of the at least two neighboring coordinator devices;

determining a latest one of the beacon message initiation times;

setting a difference sura by subtracting an earlier one of the beacon message initiation times from the latest one of the beacon message initiation times;

setting a beacon adjust sum to be at least as great as a sum of the difference sum and the beacon guarding time; and

adjusting the latest one of the beacon message initiation times by the beacon adjust sum.

18. The device according to claim 17, wherein:

said agent is to be disposed in a cluster overlap area; and

said beacon message detector is adapted to detect beacon messages of coordinator devices within the cluster overlap area.

19. A device for warning coordinator devices having cluster overlap areas, comprising:

at least two communications nodes to be disposed in different clusters, each of said communications nodes having;

a beacon message detector adapted to detect beacon messages of coordinator devices; and

a processor connected to said detector, said processor being programmed to determine if beacon messages of neighboring coordinator devices are currently overlapping or will be overlapping, said processor further programmed to;

define a beacon guarding time; and

run a distributing algorithm programmed to;

determining beacon message initiation times for each of the at least two neighboring coordinator devices;

determining a latest one of the beacon message initiation times;

setting a difference sum by subtracting an earlier one of the beacon message initiation times from the latest one of the beacon message initiation times;

setting a beacon adjust sum to be at least as great as a sum of the difference sum and the beacon guarding time; and

adjusting the latest one of the beacon message initiation times by the beacon adjust sum.

20. The device according to claim 19, wherein:

said at least two communications devices are to be disposed in different neighboring clusters; and

said beacon message detector is adapted to detect beacon messages of coordinator devices within the cluster overlap area.

21. In an ad-hoc mesh network of communications coordinator devices each transmitting a beacon message in a transmission range defining a cluster area, a sum of all cluster areas defining a transmission region, neighboring coordinator devices defining respective cluster overlap areas containing each beacon message of the neighboring coordinator devices, and mobile communications nodes being within the transmission region, a system for distributing communication signals, comprising:

at least one border node disposed in at least one overlap area of neighboring coordinator devices, said at least one border node having;

a detection device;

an agent; and

a processor connected to said detection device and to said agent, said processor programmed to;

detect at least one beacon message of the neighboring coordinator devices with said detection device;

determine if an overlap warning condition exists for at least two of the neighboring coordinator devices dependent upon the beacon messages detected;

communicate an existing overlap warning condition to at least one of the at least two neighboring coordinator devices through said communications device and signal the at least one neighboring coordinator device to adjust an initiation timing of a respective beacon message by a correction amount; and

said processor being programmed to perform the detection, the determination, and the communication during a superframe defined by the ad-hoc mesh network.

22. The device according to claim 21, wherein said processor is programmed to communicate the existing overlap warning condition to only one of the at least two neighboring coordinator devices.

23. The device according to claim 21, wherein said processor is programmed to communicate the existing overlap warning condition to only one of the at least two neighboring coordinator devices having a beacon message initiation time later than a beacon message initiation time of another one of the at least two neighboring coordinator devices.

24. The device according to claim 21, wherein each of the coordinator devices is outside a transmission range of another neighboring one of the coordinator devices.