Wireless local area network receiver and associated method

• US 8,768,343 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2007
• Issued: 07/01/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zebra Technologies Corporation
• Original Assignee: Zebra Enterprise Solutions Corp. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Wisherd, David S.
• Primary Examiner(s): LE, NHAN T
• Application Number:
  US11/692,250
• Publication Number:
  US 20070230424A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,652 Days
• Field of Search: 455/424, 455/425, 455/561, 455/550.1, 455/575.1, 455/63.1, 455/67.11, 455/277.1, 455/67.13, 455/67.769, 455/68, 455/70, 455/418, 455/419, 4554561-4566, 455/552.1, 375/149, 375/343, 375/224, 375/147, 370/47, 370/326, 370/338
• US Class Current: 455/424
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/406 with more than one transmission mode, e.g. analog and digital modes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/10 Scheduling measurement reports ; Arrangements for measurement reports
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A wireless local area network (WLAN) includes a server and receiver, which includes a radio frequency (RF) front-end circuit that receives wireless signals from the mobile nodes within the WLAN and detects baseband signals. A signal waveform detector edge detects a signal waveform and generates a trigger signal indicative of the modulation type, data format and time-of-arrival (TOA) information of a desired signal to be captured. A baseband processor receives the trigger signal from the signal waveform detector and captures the desired signal. A system controller is connected to the baseband processor and configures the baseband processor for processing the desired signal and obtaining message data and signal metrics that are transferred to the system controller to be communicated outbound from the receiver as a client to the server.

Claims

1. A wireless local area network (WLAN), comprising:

a server;

a receiver in communication with said server as a network client, and comprising,

a radio frequency (RF) front-end circuit configured to receive wireless signals;

a signal waveform detector connected to the RF front-end circuit and configured to detect one or more desired signal waveforms of the received wireless signal and, in response to detecting the one or more desired signal waveforms, generate a trigger signal indicative of a modulation type, a data format, and time-of-arrival (TOA) information; and

a processor connected to the RF front-end circuit and the signal waveform detector configured to receive the trigger signal from the signal waveform detector and captures the one or more desired signal waveforms.

2. The WLAN according to claim 1, further comprising:

a system controller connected to the processor that configures the processor for processing the one or more desired signal waveforms and obtaining message data and signal metrics that are transferred to the system controller to be communicated outbound from the receiver to the server; and

a media access control (MAC) device connected between said system controller and said server.

3. The WLAN according to claim 1, further comprising a TOA processor connected to said processor that receives the TOA information and generates a time stamp for the one or more desired signal waveforms.

4. The WLAN according to claim 3, wherein said TOA processor is operative for processing TOA information when said receiver is part of a geometric array of networked nodes and determining first-to-arrive signals based on a common network timing signal and conducting differentiation of the first-to-arrive signals to locate a desired wireless node.

5. The WLAN according to claim 1, further comprising a wireless network connection between said server and said receiver.

6. The WLAN according to claim 1, further comprising a wired network connection between said server and said receiver.

7. The WLAN according to claim 1, further comprising diversity antennas connected to the RF front-end circuit and providing spatial diversity.

8. The WLAN according to claim 7, further comprising a system controller connected to the processor that configures the processor for processing the one or more desired signal waveforms and obtaining message data and signal metrics that are transferred to the system controller to be communicated outbound from the receiver to the server, wherein said system controller is operative for controlling signal selection and RF signal based selection of dual RF channels connected to said diversity antenna.

9. The WLAN according to claim 1, further comprising a wireless access point connected to said receiver.

10. The WLAN according to claim 9, further comprising a multiplexer switch connected between said receiver and said wireless access point for selectively-switching signals between said receiver and said wireless access point.

11. The WLAN of claim 1, wherein the signal waveform detector is configured to detect the one or more desired waveforms within the wireless signals received by the RF front-end circuit, the wireless signals received by the RF front-end circuit including more than one signal waveform.

12. A receiver operative as a client in a wireless local area network (WLAN), comprising:

a radio frequency (RF) front-end circuit configured to receive wireless signals;

a signal waveform detector connected to the RF front-end circuit and configured to detect one or more desired waveforms of the received wireless signal and, in response to detecting the one or more desired signal waveforms, generate a trigger signal indicative of a modulation type, a data format, and time-of-arrival (TOA) information; and

a processor connected to the RF front-end circuit and the signal waveform detector configured to receive the trigger signal from the signal waveform detector and captures the one or more desired signal waveforms.

13. The receiver according to claim 12, further comprising:

a system controller connected to the processor that configures the processor for processing the one or more desired signal waveforms and obtaining message data and signal metrics that are transferred to the system controller to be communicated outbound from the receiver to a server; and

a media access control (MAC) device connected between said system controller and said server.

14. The receiver according to claim 12, further comprising a TOA processor connected to said processor that receives the TOA information and generates a time stamp for the one or more desired signal waveforms.

15. The receiver according to claim 14, wherein said TOA processor is operative for processing TOA information when said receiver is part of a geometric array of networked nodes and determining first-to-arrive signals based on a common network timing signal and conducting differentiation of the first-to-arrive signals to locate a desired wireless node.

16. The receiver according to claim 12, further comprising a wireless network connection between a server and said receiver.

17. The receiver according to claim 12, further comprising a wired network connection between a server and said receiver.

18. The receiver according to claim 12, further comprising diversity antennas connected to the RF front-end circuit and providing spatial diversity.

19. The receiver according to claim 18, further comprising a system controller connected to the processor that configures the processor for processing the one or more desired signal waveforms and obtaining message data and signal metrics that are transferred to the system controller to be communicated outbound from the receiver to a server, wherein said system controller is operative for controlling signal selection and RF signal based selection of dual RF channels.

20. The receiver according to claim 12, further comprising a wireless access point connected to said receiver.

21. The receiver according to claim 20, further comprising a multiplexer switch connected between said receiver and said wireless access point for selectively switching signals between said receiver and said wireless access point.

22. The receiver of claim 12, wherein the signal waveform detector is configured to detect the one or more desired waveforms within the wireless signals received by the RF front-end circuit, the wireless signals received by the RF front-end circuit including more than one signal waveform.

23. A method of communicating within a wireless local area network (WLAN), comprising,

receiving, at a receiver, wireless signals;

detecting one or more desired signal waveforms of the received wireless signal;

in response to detecting a desired signal waveform, generating a trigger signal indicative of a modulation type, data format, and time-of-arrival (TOA) information;

receiving the trigger signal and in response, capturing the one or more desired signal waveforms;

processing the one or more desired signal waveforms to obtain message data and signal metrics; and

transmitting the message data and signal metrics to a WLAN server.

24. The method according to claim 23, which further comprises transmitting the message data and signal metrics through a media access control (MAC) device connected between the receiver and a WLAN server.

25. The method according to claim 23, which further comprises receiving TOA information and generating a time stamp for the one or more desired signal waveforms.

26. The method according to claim 25, which further comprises processing TOA information and determining a first-to-arrive signal based on a common timing signal and conducting differentiation of the first-to-arrive signals to locate a desired wireless node.

27. The method according to claim 23, which further comprises controlling signal selection into dual RF channels based on RF signal detection.

28. The method according to claim 23, which further comprises transmitting the message data and signal metrics through a wireless access point operative with the receiver.

29. The method of claim 23, wherein the operation of detecting is performed by a signal waveform detector configured to detect the one or more desired waveforms within the received wireless signals, the received wireless signals including more than one signal waveform.