Wireless mesh point portable data terminal

• US 8,638,806 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2008
• Issued: 01/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Wang, Ynjiun P., Havens, William H., Qu, Huyu
• Primary Examiner(s): Sefcheck, Gregory
• Assistant Examiner(s): YOUNG, STEVE R
• Application Number:
  US12/125,621
• Publication Number:
  US 20080294766A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,077 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/419
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/38 Transceivers, i.e. devices in which transmitter and receiver form a structural unit and in which at least one part is used for functions of transmitting and receiving
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/26 Cell enhancers or enhancement, e.g. for tunnels, building shadow
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0203 in the radio access network or backbone network of wireless communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0209 in terminal devices terminal devices per se H04W88/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/22 with access to wired networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A portable data terminal (PDT) adapted to participate in a wireless mesh network including a plurality of peer PDTs can comprise: a PDT module including an encoded information reading (EIR) device, and a mesh point (MP) module communicatively coupled to the PDT module. The MP module can include a microcontroller and at least one wireless communication interface and can be configured to perform IEEE 802.11-conformant wireless station services including authentication, de-authentication, privacy, and MAC service data unit delivery, and IEEE 802.11-conformant wireless distribution system services including association, disassociation, distribution, integration, and re-association. The MP module can be further configured, responsive to receiving a MAC frame addressed to a recipient inside the wireless mesh network, to deliver the MAC frame using the distribution service. The MP module can be further configured, responsive to receiving a MAC frame addressed to a recipient outside of the wireless mesh network, to deliver the MAC frame using the integration service. The MP module can be further configured to route an incoming MAC frame according to its destination address and the frame control field. The MP module can be further configured to cause the PDT module to exit said sleeping state responsive to receiving a mobile management software (MMS) wake-up command.

Claims

1. A portable data terminal adapted to participate in a wireless mesh network including a plurality of peer portable data terminals, said portable data terminal comprising:

a housing;

a portable data terminal disposed within said housing, said portable data terminal module including a central processing unit, a memory, and at least one encoded information reading device configured to output a decoded message data corresponding to an encoded message; and

a mesh point module disposed within said housing, said mesh module communicatively coupled to said portable data terminal module, said mesh point module including a microcontroller and at least one wireless communication interface;

wherein said mesh point module is configured to perform IEEE 802.11-conformant wireless station services, and IEEE 802.11-conformant wireless distribution system services including distribution and integration;

wherein said portable data terminal module employs a power management scheme for controlling power management states of said portable data terminal module at least between an awake state and a sleeping state;

wherein said mesh point module is further configured, responsive to receiving, while said portable data terminal module is in a state selected from the group consisting of;

said awake state and said sleeping state, a Media Access Control frame addressed to a recipient inside said mesh network, to deliver said Media Access Control frame using said distribution service;

wherein said mesh point module is further configured, responsive to receiving, while said portable data terminal module is in said sleeping state, a Media Access Control frame addressed to a recipient outside of said mesh network, to deliver said Media Access Control frame using said integration service;

wherein said portable data terminal module is further configured to send outgoing Media Access Control frames to said mesh point module and said mesh point module is further configured to route outgoing Media Access Control frames obtained from said portable data terminal to recipients inside said mesh network utilizing said distribution service and to recipients outside said mesh network utilizing said integration service; and

wherein said mesh point module is further configured to obtain incoming Media Access Control frames addressed to said mesh point module and transmit said incoming Media Access Control frames to said portable data terminal module.

2. The portable data terminal of claim 1, wherein said mesh point module is further configured, responsive to receiving a Media Access Control frame addressed to said portable data terminal module while said portable data terminal module is in said sleeping state, to cause said portable data terminal module to exit said sleeping state by transmitting said Media Access Control frame to said portable data terminal module;

and

wherein said mesh point module is further configured, responsive to receiving a Media Access Control frame addressed to said portable data terminal module while said portable data terminal module is in said awake state, to transmit said Media Access Control frame to said portable data terminal module.

3. The portable data terminal of claim 1, wherein said portable data terminal module includes a first battery;

wherein said mesh point module includes a second battery; and

wherein said first battery is used to power said mesh point module responsive to said second battery depletion, thus providing for uninterrupted operation of said mesh point module.

4. The portable data terminal of claim 1, wherein said wireless network comprises one or more portals, each portal routing frames between said wireless network and at least one external network.

5. The portable data terminal of claim 1, wherein said mesh point module is configured to transmit beacons only at Delivery Traffic Indication Time intervals.

6. A portable data terminal adapted to participate in a wireless mesh network including a plurality of peer portable data terminals, said portable data terminal comprising:

a housing;

a portable data terminal module disposed within said housing, said portable data terminal including a central processing unit, a memory, and at least one encoded information reading device configured to output a decoded message data corresponding to an encoded message; and

a mesh point module disposed within said housing, said mesh point module communicatively coupled to said portable data terminal module, said mesh point module including a microcontroller and at least one wireless communication interface;

wherein said mesh point module is configured to perform IEEE 802.11-conformant wireless station services, and IEEE 802.11-conformant wireless distribution system services;

wherein said mesh point module is further configured, responsive to receiving, while said portable data terminal module is in a state selected from the group consisting of;

said awake state and said sleeping state, a Media Access Control frame having a header including a destination address and a frame control field, to route said Media Access Control frame according to said destination address and said frame control field;

wherein said portable data terminal module employs a power management scheme for controlling power management states of said portable data terminal module at least between an awake state and a sleeping state;

wherein said portable data terminal module is further configured to send outgoing Media Access Control frames to said mesh point module and said mesh point module is further configured to route outgoing Media Access Control frames obtained from said portable data terminal to recipients inside said mesh network utilizing said distribution service and to recipients outside said mesh network utilizing said integration service; and

wherein said mesh point module is further configured to obtain incoming Media Access Control frames addressed to said mesh point module and transmit said incoming Media Access Control frames to said portable data terminal module.

7. The portable data terminal of claim 6, wherein said mesh point module is further configured, responsive to receiving a Media Access Control frame addressed to said portable data terminal module while said portable data terminal module is in said sleeping state, to cause said portable data terminal module to exit said sleeping state by transmitting said Media Access Control frame to said portable data terminal module;

and

wherein said mesh point module is further configured, responsive to receiving a Media Access Control frame addressed to said portable data terminal module while said portable data terminal module is in said awake state, to transmit said Media Access Control frame to said portable data terminal module.

8. The portable data terminal of claim 6, wherein said portable data terminal module includes a first battery;

wherein said mesh point module includes a second battery; and

wherein said first battery is used to power said mesh point module responsive to said second battery depletion, thus providing for uninterrupted operation of said mesh point module.

9. The portable data terminal of claim 6, wherein said wireless network comprises one or more portals, each portal routing frames between said wireless network and at least one external network.

10. The portable data terminal of claim 6, wherein said mesh point module is configured to transmit beacons only at Delivery Traffic Indication Time intervals.

11. A portable data terminal adapted to participate in a wireless mesh network including a plurality of peer portable data terminals, said portable data terminal comprising:

a housing;

a portable data terminal module disposed within said housing, said portable data terminal including a central processing unit, a memory, and at least one encoded information reading device configured to output a decoded message data corresponding to an encoded message; and

a mesh point module disposed within said housing, said mesh point module communicatively coupled to said portable data terminal module, said mesh point module including a microcontroller and at least one wireless communication interface;

wherein said mesh point module is further configured, responsive to receiving, while said portable data terminal module is in a state selected from the group consisting of;

said awake state and said sleeping state, a Media Access Control frame having a header including a destination address and a frame control field, to route said Media Access Control frame according to said destination address and said frame control field;

wherein said portable data terminal module is configured to control power management states of said portable data terminal module at least between an awake state and a sleeping state;

wherein said mesh point module is configured to cause said portable data terminal module to exit said sleeping state responsive to receiving from an external server a mobile management software wake-up command;

wherein said portable data terminal module is further configured to send outgoing Media Access Control frames to said mesh point module and said mesh point module is further configured to route outgoing Media Access Control frames obtained from said portable data terminal to recipients inside said mesh network utilizing said distribution service and to recipients outside said mesh network utilizing said integration service; and

wherein said mesh point module is further configured to obtain incoming Media Access Control frames addressed to said mesh point module and transmit said incoming Media Access Control frames to said portable data terminal module.

12. The portable data terminal of claim 11, wherein said mesh point module is configured to perform IEEE 802.11-conformant wireless station services including authentication, de-authentication, privacy, and Media Access Control service data unit delivery, and IEEE 802.11-conformant wireless distribution system services including association, disassociation, distribution, integration, and re-association.

13. The portable data terminal of claim 11, wherein said portable data terminal module includes a first battery;

wherein said mesh point module includes a second battery; and

wherein said first battery is used to power said mesh point module responsive to said second battery depletion, thus providing for uninterrupted operation of said mesh point module.

14. The portable data terminal of claim 11, wherein said wireless network comprises one or more portals, each portal routing frames between said wireless network and at least one external network.

15. The portable data terminal of claim 11, wherein said mesh point module is configured to transmit beacons only at Delivery Traffic Indication Time intervals.