Method and system for deploying a wireless repeater

• US 7,546,094 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2004
• Issued: 06/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Couper, Christopher C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Anderson; Matthew D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Safaipour; Bobbak
• Application Number:
  US10/928,347
• Publication Number:
  US 20060046646A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,747 Days
• Field of Search: 455/11.1, 455/13.1, 455/16
• US Class Current: 455/111
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/155 Ground-based stations H04B7/204 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15507 Relay station based processing for cell extension or control of coverage area, network planning with network coordinated processing with regard to cell extension H04W16/26; network topologies using dedicated repeater stations H04W84/047; terminal devices adapted for relaying to or from an other terminal H04W88/04

Abstract

A method (200) of dynamically deploying wireless repeaters in a communication network can include establishing (205) a first wireless repeater serving as a communication node, evaluating (210) quality of a signal dynamically among at least one additional repeater being deployed in the communication network and the communication node, and selectively entering (215) a vertical unit in one of the additional repeaters being deployed. Evaluating the quality can include measuring (211) a signal strength from other repeaters in the communication system or measuring (212) a signal strength from a nearest repeater among the other repeaters in the system. Evaluating can also include pinging (213) the communication node. The vertical units can be entered as an input using any number of input devices including, but not limited to a keypad, a rotary switch (22 and 24), a voice recognition system or any combination thereof.

Claims

1. A method of dynamically deploying wireless repeaters in an ad hoc communications network for providing optimized placement of the repeaters and improved coverage within the communications network, comprising the steps of:

establishing one or more active repeaters to define said communications network, wherein one of said active repeaters serves as a critical communications node;

deploying one or more inactive repeaters in said communications network;

for each of said inactive repeaters, evaluating a quality of a signal between said critical node and at least one other of said active repeaters deployed in the communications network, the evaluating step including at least one of;

measuring a signal strength from other active repeaters in the communications network; and

measuring a signal strength from a nearest repeater among the other active repeaters in the communications network;

responsive to said quality falling below a critical level, activating said inactive repeater; and

entering a vertical unit for signal reception in said activated repeater, said entered vertical unit identifying a floor level of said activated repeater.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of evaluating the quality comprises the step of pinging the critical communications node.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of entering the vertical unit comprises entering an input using an input device selected from at least one of the group consisting of a keypad, a rotary switch, a touch screen, a slider switch, and a voice recognition system.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

relocating at least one of said inactive repeaters; and

repeating the steps of evaluating, activating, and entering.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

pinging the activated repeater; and

responding to said ping with said entered vertical unit for said activated repeater.