Mote networks having directional antennas

• US 7,706,842 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2007
• Issued: 04/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2004
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Alarm.com Inc. (Alarm.com Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Tegreene, Clarence T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung; Nay A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wendell; Andrew
• Application Number:
  US11/986,993
• Publication Number:
  US 20080207121A1
• Time in Patent Office: 883 Days
• Field of Search: 455/63.4, 455/25, 455/41.2, 455/562.1, 455/13.3, 455/19, 455/575.1, 342367-368, 342371-375, 343/757
• US Class Current: 455/562.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network

Abstract

A mote network having and/or using one or more directional antennas.

Claims

1. A mote system comprising:

an antenna signal detection unit; and

a directional antenna system operably coupled with said antenna signal detection unit, said directional antenna system including;

an antenna control unit configured to direct a movement of a field of regard of a directional antenna such that the field of regard of the directional antenna will likely operably align with a beam of an other directional antenna.

2. The mote system of claim 1, wherein said directional antenna system operably coupled with said antenna signal detection unit further comprises:

a beam-forming antenna system.

3. The mote system of claim 1, wherein said directional antenna system operably coupled with said antenna signal detection unit further comprises:

a beam-steering antenna system.

4. The mote system of claim 1, wherein said directional antenna system operably coupled with said antenna signal detection unit further comprises:

one or more electromagnetic reflectors of one or more shapes corresponding to one or more selected antenna patterns.

5. The mote system of claim 1, wherein said directional antenna system operably coupled with antenna signal detection unit further comprises:

an adaptive-antenna system.

6. The mote system of claim 1, wherein said directional antenna system operably coupled with said antenna signal detection unit further comprises:

an array antenna.

7. The mote system of claim 1, wherein said directional antenna system operably coupled with said antenna signal detection unit further comprises:

an antenna steering unit.

8. The mote system of claim 7, wherein said antenna steering unit further comprises:

an electro-mechanical system.

9. The mote system of claim 7, wherein said antenna steering unit further comprises:

a micro-electro-mechanical system.

10. The mote system of claim 7, wherein said antenna steering unit further comprises:

an electromagnetic system.

11. The mote system of claim 1, further comprising:

a mote having said directional antenna system operably coupled with said antenna signal detection unit.

12. The mote system of claim 11, further comprising:

a fastener configured to hold at least one of an animate or inanimate unit in physical contact with said mote having said directional antenna system operably coupled with said antenna signal detection unit.

13. The mote system of claim 1, wherein said antenna signal detection unit further comprises:

a correlation detector having a reference signal.

14. The mote system of claim 1, wherein said antenna signal detection unit further comprises:

an antenna control unit operably coupled to direct said antenna signal detection unit to vary a reference frequency of a demodulator.

15. The mote system of claim 1, wherein said antenna signal detection unit further comprises:

an antenna control unit operably coupled to direct said antenna signal detection unit to maintain a first reference frequency of a demodulator in association with a first rate of movement of a field of regard of the directional antenna and a second reference frequency of a demodulator in association with a second rate of movement of a field of regard of the directional antenna.

16. The mote system of claim 1, wherein said antenna signal detection unit further comprises:

an antenna control unit operably coupled to direct said antenna signal detection unit to determine one or more times during which a received signal strength of a beacon signal was at one or more substantially maximum values.

17. The mote system of claim 1, wherein said antenna signal detection unit further comprises:

an antenna control unit operably coupled to direct said antenna signal detection unit to determine one or more locations along an arc of movement of the directional antenna that correspond with one or more times at which a received signal strength of a beacon signal were at one or more substantially maximum values.

18. The mote system of claim 1, wherein said antenna control unit configured to direct a movement of a field of regard of a directional antenna such that the field of regard of the directional antenna will likely operably align with a beam of an other directional antenna further comprises:

an antenna control unit configured to direct a sweep of a field of regard of a directional antenna at a rate likely to be different from that of a rate of sweep of a beam of an other directional antenna.

19. The mote system of claim 1, wherein said antenna control unit configured to direct a movement of a field of regard of a directional antenna such that the field of regard of the directional antenna will likely operably align with a beam of an other directional antenna further comprises:

an antenna control unit configured to direct a rotation of a field of regard of a directional antenna at a rate of rotation varied by a quasi-random amount from a nominal rate of rotation.

20. The mote system of claim 1, wherein said antenna control unit configured to direct a movement of a field of regard of a directional antenna such that the field of regard of the directional antenna will likely operably align with a beam of an other directional antenna further comprises:

an antenna control unit configured to direct a movement of a field of regard of a directional antenna at a quasi-randomly selected rate of movement.

21. The mote system of claim 1, wherein said antenna control unit configured to direct a movement of a field of regard of a directional antenna such that the field of regard of the directional antenna will likely operably align with a beam of an other directional antenna further comprises:

an antenna control unit configured to direct a movement of a field of regard of a directional antenna at a quasi-randomly selected period of time.

22. The mote system of claim 1, wherein said antenna control unit configured to direct a movement of a field of regard of a directional antenna such that the field of regard of the directional antenna will likely operably align with a beam of an other directional antenna further comprises:

an antenna control unit configured to direct a rate of rotation of a field of regard of a directional antenna at a rate likely to be different from that of a rate of rotation of a beam of an other directional antenna.

23. A mote method of using comprising:

distributing a mote, the mote having

(i) an antenna signal detection unit, and

(ii) a directional antenna system operably couplable with antenna signal detection unit said directional antenna system including;

an antenna control unit configured to direct a movement of a field of regard of a directional antenna such that the field of regard of the directional antenna will likely operably align with a beam of an other directional antenna.

24. The mote method of claim 23, wherein said distributing a mote further comprises:

emplacing at least one unit in physical contact with the mote.

25. The mote method of claim 24, wherein said emplacing at least one unit in physical contact with the mote further comprises:

positioning an inanimate component in physical contact with the mote.

26. The mote method of claim 24, wherein said emplacing at least one unit in physical contact with the mote further comprises:

positioning an animate component in physical contact with the mote.

27. A mote method of making comprising:

forming a mote body; and

emplacing a directional antenna and an antenna control unit proximate to the mote body.

28. The mote method of claim 27, wherein said forming a mote body further comprises:

forming at least a part of the mote body from a substrate.

29. The mote method of claim 27, wherein said emplacing a directional antenna and an antenna control unit proximate to the mote body further comprises:

forming at least a part of the directional antenna from a substrate.

30. The mote method of claim 27, wherein said emplacing a directional antenna and an antenna control unit proximate to the mote body further comprises:

affixing at least a part of the directional antenna to the mote body.

31. A mote method comprising:

integrating a directional antenna and an antenna control unit proximate to a mote body with at least one unit.

32. The mote method of claim 31, wherein said integrating a directional antenna and an antenna control unit proximate to a mote body with at least one unit further comprises:

at least one of affixing the mote body to or encasing the mote body in an inanimate structural component.

33. The mote method of claim 31, wherein said integrating a directional antenna and an antenna control unit proximate to a mote body with at least one unit further comprises:

at least one of affixing the mote body to or encasing the mote body in an animate structural component.