Apparatus and method for redundant connectivity and multi-channel operation of wireless devices

• US 7,933,240 B2
• Filed: 07/19/2007
• Issued: 04/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Mahasenan, Arun V., Budampati, Ramakrishna S., Gonia, Patrick S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Danh C
• Application Number:
  US11/880,116
• Publication Number:
  US 20090022121A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,377 Days
• Field of Search: 370/338, 370/395.3, 370/328, 455/550.1
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1887 Scheduling and prioritising arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1868 Measures taken after transmission, e.g. acknowledgments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0093 Point-to-multipoint
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A wireless network includes leaf nodes (such as wireless sensors or other wireless devices) and infrastructure nodes (such as access points). The leaf nodes communicate data messages to the infrastructure nodes. The infrastructure nodes communicate the data messages to gateway infrastructure nodes, which transmit the data messages over a wired network. The leaf nodes may communicate data messages to multiple infrastructure nodes in various ways. For example, the leaf nodes may transmit multiple messages, one at a time, to multiple infrastructure nodes. The leaf nodes may also broadcast a single message to multiple infrastructure nodes. In addition, the leaf nodes may communicate a single message containing a group identifier (such as a multi-cast group address) associated with multiple infrastructure nodes. In this way, communications from the leaf nodes may be more reliable. This may be particularly useful, for example, in networks such as 802.11-based networks.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a wireless transceiver configured to receive a message from a wireless device;

a controller configured to identify a group identifier associated with the message; and

a memory configured to store information identifying one or more intended recipients and an order of acknowledgement transmission associated with the group identifier;

wherein the controller is further configured to determine whether the apparatus is one of the intended recipients associated with the group identifier and, if so, to identify a time or position to transmit an acknowledgement message to the wireless device; and

wherein the wireless transceiver is further configured to transmit the acknowledgement message to the wireless device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the group identifier comprises at least one of:

a group number and a group address.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the group identifier comprises a multi-cast group address.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the wireless transceiver is compliant with an IEEE 802.11 wireless standard.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to operate in a Point Coordination Function mode of operation within a wireless network.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine the time to transmit the acknowledgement message to the wireless device based on the group identifier.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine the position to transmit the acknowledgement message to the wireless device based on the group identifier.

8. A method comprising:

receiving a message from a wireless device at an access point;

identifying a group identifier associated with the message, the group identifier associated with one or more intended recipients and an order of acknowledgement transmission;

determining whether the access point is one of the intended recipients associated with the group identifier;

identifying a time or position to transmit an acknowledgement message to the wireless device; and

transmitting the acknowledgement message to the wireless device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the group identifier comprises at least one of:

a group number and a group address.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the group identifier comprises a multi-cast group address.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the access point is compliant with an IEEE 802.11 wireless standard.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

operating the access point in a Point Coordination Function mode of operation within a wireless network.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein identifying the time or position to transmit the acknowledgement message comprises:

determining the time to transmit the acknowledgement message to the wireless device based on the group identifier.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein identifying the time or position to transmit the acknowledgement message comprises:

determining the position to transmit the acknowledgement message to the wireless device based on the group identifier.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein the wireless device comprises a wireless sensor or actuator in an industrial control and automation system.

16. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium embodying a computer program, the computer program comprising:

computer readable program code for receiving a message from a wireless device at an access point;

computer readable program code for identifying a group identifier associated with the message, the group identifier associated with one or more intended recipients and an order of acknowledgement transmission;

computer readable program code for determining whether the access point is one of the intended recipients associated with the group identifier and for identifying a time or position to transmit an acknowledgement message to the wireless device; and

computer readable program code for initiating transmission of the acknowledgement message to the wireless device.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the group identifier comprises a multi-cast group address.

18. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the computer readable program code for identifying the time or position to transmit the acknowledgement message comprises:

computer readable program code for determining the time to transmit the acknowledgement message to the wireless device based on the group identifier.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the computer readable program code for identifying the time or position to transmit the acknowledgement message comprises:

computer readable program code for determining the position to transmit the acknowledgement message to the wireless device based on the group identifier.

20. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the computer readable program code for receiving the message comprises computer readable program code for receiving a message compliant with an IEEE 802.11 wireless standard.