System and method for controlling the transmission power of a node

• US 8,676,245 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2007
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Strong Force IoT Portfolio 2016, LLC (Strong Force Intellectual Capital, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Motorola Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: Swope, Charles B., Maracas, George N.
• Primary Examiner(s): SHARMA, SUJATHA R
• Application Number:
  US11/694,876
• Publication Number:
  US 20080240025A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,545 Days
• Field of Search: 455/522, 455/556.1, 455/67.11, 455/574, 455/343.1, 455/423, 455/500, 455/507, 455/508, 455/344, 455/456.1, 455/456.5, 455/456.6, 455/457, 455/449, 455/446, 340/521, 340/572.4, 340/628, 340/584, 340/501, 340/581, 340/531, 340/539.1, 340/539.13, 340/825.49, 340/593
• US Class Current: 455/522
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/246 where the output power of a terminal is based on a path parameter calculated in said terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/34 TPC management, i.e. sharing limited amount of power among users or channels or data types, e.g. cell loading

Abstract

A system (10) and method (50) for controlling the transmission power of a node (14) that includes at least one base station (12), at least one node (14), a sensor (16), and a control unit (20). The node (14) is in communication with the base station (12). The sensor (16) is integrated with each of the nodes (14), wherein the sensor (16) collects data that includes at least the amount of combustible material (18) proximate to the node (14). The control unit (20) is integrated with each node (14) and configures the transmission power of each of the nodes (14) based upon the data collected by the sensor (16).

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

a sensor integrated with each of a plurality of wireless communication nodes, wherein the sensor collects data that includes at least the amount of combustible material proximate to the at least one wireless communication node of the plurality of wireless communication node;

a control unit integrated with each of the plurality of wireless communication nodes, wherein the control unit configures the transmission power of the at least one wireless communication node based upon the data collected by the sensor; and

a transceiver integrated with each of the plurality of wireless communication nodes for communicating using the configured transmission power.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the control unit configures the transmission power to prevent ignition of the combustible material.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the control unit configures the transmission power of a first wireless communication node of the plurality of wireless communication nodes based upon the data collected by the sensor of at least one other wireless communication node, such that the wireless communication nodes are in communication with one another.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the first wireless communication node communicates the data collected by the sensor directly with the at least one other wireless communication node so that the first wireless communication node and the at least one other wireless communication node form a MESH network.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the first wireless communication node communicates the data collected by the sensor to at least one base station and the at least one base station transmits the data to the at least one other wireless communication node.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein a first wireless communication node of the at least one wireless communication node is integrated into a radio device, and the radio device is in communication with at least one base station and a second wireless communication node of the at least one wireless communication node.

7. The system of claim 1 further comprising at least one remote radio device in communication with a base station.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising at least one remote database in communication with at least one base station and the at least one wireless communication node.

21. The system of claim 3, wherein in response to the amount of combustible material proximate the wireless communication node being altered, the control unit of each wireless communication node configures the wireless communication node transmission power to an acceptable level, and the wireless communication nodes continue to communicate at power levels that reduce the possibility of igniting or combustion of the combustible material.

23. The system of claim 1, wherein the transceiver communicates at one of at least two transmission power levels based on the configured transmission power, and further wherein each of the transmission power level correspond to a flashpoint value of the amount of combustible material proximate to the at least one wireless communication node.

9. A communication system comprising;

at least one base station;

a plurality of wireless communication nodes in communication with the at least one base station;

a sensor integrated with each of the plurality of wireless communication nodes, wherein the sensor collects data that includes at least the amount of combustible material proximate to the each of the plurality of wireless communication nodes;

a control unit integrated with each of the plurality of wireless communication nodes, wherein the control unit configures the transmission power of each of the plurality of wireless communication nodes based upon at least one of the data collected by the sensor and the data collected by sensors of other wireless communication nodes in order to prevent ignition of the combustible materials; and

a transceiver integrated with each of the plurality of wireless communication nodes for communicating using the configured transmission power.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein a first wireless communication node of the plurality of wireless communication nodes communicates the data collected by the sensor directly with at least one other wireless communication node of the plurality of wireless communication nodes so that the first wireless communication node and the at least one other wireless communication node form a MESH network.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein a first wireless communication node of the plurality of wireless communication nodes communicates the data collected by the sensor to the at least one base station, and the at least one base station transmits the data to at least one other wireless communication node of the plurality of wireless communication nodes.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein a first wireless communication node of the plurality of wireless communication nodes is integrated into a radio device, and the radio device is in communication with at least one of the at least one base station and a second wireless communication node of the plurality of wireless communication nodes.

13. The system of claim 9 further comprising at least one remote radio device in communication with the at least one base station.

14. The system of claim 9 further comprising at least one remote database in communication with at least one of the at least one base station and the plurality of wireless communication nodes.

24. The system of claim 9, wherein the transceiver communicates at one of at least two transmission power levels based on the configured transmission power, and further wherein each of the transmission power level correspond to a flashpoint value of the amount of combustible material proximate to each of the plurality of wireless communication nodes.

15. A method of controlling transmission power in a transmitting device, the method comprising the steps of:

providing at least one base station in communication with at least one wireless communication node;

monitoring the amount of combustible material proximate each of the at least one wireless communication nodes;

configuring the transmission power of each of the at least one wireless communication node based upon the amount of combustible material proximate the at least one wireless communication node; and

communicating, by each of the at least one wireless communication node, using the configured transmission power.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of communicating between a remote database and at least one of the at least one base station and the at least one wireless communication node.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of communicating between a remote radio device and the at least one base station.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein at least one wireless communication node is integrated into a two-way radio transceiver.

19. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of forming a MESH network with the at least one wireless communication node and the at least one base station, such that a first wireless communication node of the at least one node communicates the data collected by the sensor with at least one other wireless communication node of the at least one wireless communication node.

20. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of communicating the data collected by the sensor from a first wireless communication node of the at least one wireless communication node to the at least one base station, and transmitting the data from the at least one base station to at least one other wireless communication node of the at least one wireless communication node.

22. The system of claim 15, wherein a control unit is integrated with each of the at least one wireless communication nodes, and the control unit configures the transmission power of each of the at least one wireless communication node to a level that reduces the possibility of igniting or ignition of the combustible material.

25. The method of claim 15, wherein the communicating step further comprises:

communicating at one of at least two transmission power levels based on the configured transmission power, and further wherein each of the transmission power level correspond to a flashpoint value of the amount of combustible material proximate to each of the at least one wireless communication node.