Determining a deployment of a wireless network

• US 8,923,882 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2011
• Issued: 12/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Gandhi, Amol, Viswanath, Ganapathy, Chandra, Satish, Lingala, Prashanth, Ingle, Vilas, Sambasivan, Lokesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Aminzay, Shaima Q
• Application Number:
  US13/191,039
• Publication Number:
  US 20130029587A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,253 Days
• Field of Search: 455/15, 455/7, 455/9, 455/11.1, 455/13.1, 455/16, 455/17, 455/20, 455/22, 455/24, 455/41.2, 455/408, 455/450, 455/455, 455/3.05, 370/274, 370/279, 370/293, 370/315, 370/492, 370/501, 375/211, 375/214
• US Class Current: 455/455
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/20 for indoor coverage or short range network deployment

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices for determining a deployment of a wireless network are described herein. One method includes receiving, via a computing device, radio frequency data associated with a structure, wherein the structure includes a number of sensor nodes, receiving physical parameters associated with the structure, determining a number of relay nodes to deploy in the structure based, at least in part, on the radio frequency data and the physical parameters, and determining a location to deploy each of the number of relay nodes in the structure based, at least in part, on the radio frequency data and the physical parameters.

Claims

1. A method of determining a deployment of a wireless network associated with a structure, comprising

receiving, via a computing device, radio frequency data associated with the structure, wherein the structure includes a number of sensor nodes and wherein the number of sensor nodes provides the radio frequency data;

receiving physical parameters associated with the structure;

determining a number of relay nodes to deploy in the structure based, at least in part, on the radio frequency data and the physical parameters; and

determining, prior to deploying the number of relay nodes, a location to deploy each of the number of relay nodes in the structure based, at least in part, on the radio frequency data and the physical parameters associated with the structure.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method includes determining a location to deploy each of the number of relay nodes in the structure such that a communication range of each of the number of sensor nodes includes at least two relay nodes.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each relay node is configured to communicatively couple at least one sensor node to a gateway node.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the method includes displaying a visual representation of the determined location to deploy each of the number of relay nodes in the structure.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the method includes predicting a number of operations of the wireless network subsequent to determining a location to deploy each of the number of relay nodes in the structure.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method includes simulating an operation of the wireless network based, at least in part, on the number of relay nodes and the location to deploy each of the number of relay nodes.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the method includes deploying each of the number of relay nodes in the structure based, at least in part, on the simulation of an operation of the wireless network.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the method includes receiving a geographic location of the structure and determining a number of predicted weather conditions affecting the sensor nodes and relay nodes based on the geographic location.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the method includes communicating the determined location to deploy each of the number of relay nodes in the structure to a user device.

10. A system for determining a deployment of a wireless network associated with a structure, comprising:

a number of sensor nodes deployed in a structure, wherein each of the number of sensor nodes is communicatively coupled to at least one sensor associated with a portion of the structure;

a gateway node;

a number of relay nodes, wherein each relay node is configured to communicatively couple at least one of the sensor nodes to the gateway node; and

a computing device configured to determine a location to deploy each relay node prior to deploying each relay node in the structure such that a communication range of each of the number of sensor nodes includes at least two relay nodes based, at least in part, on the deployment of the number of sensor nodes.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the structure is an industrial plant.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the relay nodes and gateway node form an interconnected network.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the system includes a database storing a number of physical parameters associated with the structure.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the database is configured to be accessible by a user associated with the deployment of the wireless network to create a visual representation of the structure.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the system includes a display device configured to display a simulation of the structure indicating the location to deploy each relay node in the structure.

16. A computing device for determining a deployment of a wireless network, comprising:

a memory; and

a processor coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to execute executable instructions stored in the memory to;

receive physical parameters associated with a structure having a number of sensor nodes deployed therein, wherein each of the number of sensor nodes is configured to communicate with a gateway node via a number of relay nodes;

receive radio frequency data associated with the structure from the number of

determine a location to deploy each of the number of relay nodes in the structure, prior to deployment of the number of relay nodes in the structure, such that a communication range of each of the number of sensor nodes includes at least two relay nodes and each relay node is within a communication range of another relay node based, at least in part, on the physical parameters and radio frequency data associated with the structure received from the number of sensor nodes; and

display the determined location to deploy each of the number of relay nodes in a visual representation of the structure.

17. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to execute executable instructions stored in the memory to determine a number of received signal strength indication (RSSI) values for the number of sensor nodes.

18. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to execute executable instructions stored in the memory to determine a suggested transmit power level at which to operate the sensor nodes.

19. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to execute executable instructions stored in the memory to propose a number of network configuration options associated with deploying the wireless network to a user based, at least in part, on the visual representation of the structure.

20. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the processor is configured to execute executable instructions stored in the memory to conduct a simulation of the wireless network using the visual representation based, at least in part, on the physical parameters and radio frequency data.