Access point with orientation sensor

• US 7,565,169 B1
• Filed: 12/10/2002
• Issued: 07/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Theobold, David M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dean; Raymond S
• Application Number:
  US10/315,410
• Time in Patent Office: 2,415 Days
• Field of Search: 455/25, 455/414.2, 455/63.4, 455/445, 455/16, 455/562.1, 455/446, 455/561, 455/404.2, 455/456.1, 342/357.11, 342/359, 342/417, 342/147
• US Class Current: 455/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A wireless access point and method of deploying is disclosed including a radio component for wirelessly communicating with at least one mobile client and a connection from the access point to a network. A directional orientation component is provided for obtaining the directional orientation of the access point with respect to a predetermined coordinate system. The predetermined coordinate system can be a local coordinate system of a predetermined bounded area or with respect to the directional vectors relative to Earth'"'"'s coordinate system.

Claims

1. A wireless access point comprising:

a housing;

a reference point within the housing;

a radio component for wirelessly communicating with at least one mobile client;

a connection from the access point to a network; and

a directional orientation component comprising a magnetic sensor within the housing operable to measure a magnetic field of the Earth relative to the reference point to determine a directional orientation of said access point with respect to the magnetic field of the Earth.

2. The wireless access point of claim 1 wherein the magnetic sensor comprises a two-axis magnetic sensor for determining a direction upon earth'"'"'s surface aligned with earth'"'"'s magnetic field.

3. The wireless access point of claim 2 wherein the magnetic sensor comprises an arrangement for calculating the magnetic declination.

4. The wireless access point of claim 1 wherein the magnetic sensor is selected from the group consisting of a magnetic position sensing float, a Hall-effect device, and a fluxgate magnetometer.

5. The wireless access point of claim 1 wherein the directional orientation component comprises a measurement circuit for processing the orientation information.

6. The wireless access point of claim 1 wherein the directional orientation component forwards an orientation measurement to a remote network component via the connection for processing the orientation information.

7. The wireless access point of claim 6 wherein the directional orientation is maintained in a central database for maintaining the directional orientations of a plurality of wireless access points associated with the network.

8. A wireless access point according to claim 1, the directional orientation component further comprises an elevation sensor to measure an elevation angle to a horizon.

9. A wireless access point according to claim 8,

wherein the elevation sensor comprises a gravitational sensor to ascertain the physical orientation relative to the reference point within the housing.

10. A wireless access point according to claim 1, the directional orientation component further comprises a pendulum sensor.

11. A wireless access point according to claim 1, further comprising:

an antenna coupled to the radio component;

wherein the directional orientation component determines the specific direction the access point is pointed towards to ascertain in which direction the antenna will provide coverage.