Minimization of channel filters within wireless access nodes

• US 7,362,737 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2004
• Issued: 04/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Energy Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Tropos Networks Incorporated (ABB Limited)
• Inventors: Behroozi, Cyrus
• Primary Examiner(s): Jackson; Blane J.
• Application Number:
  US10/820,493
• Publication Number:
  US 20050226179A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,475 Days
• Field of Search: 455/7, 455/15, 455/16, 455/13.1, 455/17, 455/19, 455/20, 455/25, 455/41.2, 370/254, 370/315, 370/328, 370/338, 370/443, 370/348
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/40 Circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/12 based on transmission quality or channel quality

Abstract

A wireless access node includes a first radio operable to transmit/receive on one of at least N transmission channels. A second radio is operable to transmit/receive on another one of the at least N transmission channels. A first filter bank, of less than N filters, filters a first transmit/receive signal of the first radio. A second filter bank, of less than N filters, filters a second transmit/receive signal of the second radio. Generally, N is greater than 2.

Claims

1. A wireless access node comprising:

a first radio operable to transmit/receive on a subset of N transmission channels, one channel at a time;

a second radio operable to transmit/receive on another subset of the N transmission channels, a different channel at a time;

a first filter bank of at least 2 but less than N filters for filtering a first transmit/receive signal of the first radio; and

a second filter bank of at least 2 but less than N filters for filtering a second transmit/receive signal of the second radio, at least one of the pass-bands of the second filter bank being different than the pass-bands of the first filter bank;

wherein N is greater than 2, and wherein the combination of the first radio and the second radio are operable to transmit/receive on all N transmission channels.

2. The wireless access node of claim 1, wherein the first filter bank and the second filter bank are substantially electro-magnetically isolated.

3. The wireless access node of claim 1, wherein the access node is in communication with a first device and a second device, the first radio being in communication with the first device, and the second radio being in communication with the second device.

4. The wireless access node of claim 3, wherein the communication of the access node to the first device and the second device is reversible so that the first radio is in communication with the second device and the second radio is in communication with the first device.

5. The wireless access node of claim 4, wherein the access node is within a mesh network, and the first radio is in communication with at least one of the first device and the second device depending upon a selected mesh network routing.

6. The wireless access node of claim 5, wherein the access node is within a mesh network, and the second radio is in communication with at least one of the first device and the second device depending upon a selected mesh network routing.

7. The wireless access node of claim 1, where N=3, and the first filter bank comprises 2 filters, and the second filter bank comprises 2 filters.

8. The wireless access node of claim 7, wherein at least one of the filters of the first filter bank filters signals of a different transmission channel than at least one of the filters of the second filter bank.

9. The wireless access node of claim 7, wherein each filter of the first filter bank has a corresponding complementary filter within the second filter bank.

10. The wireless access node of claim 9, wherein a first filter is complementary to a second filter if the first filter rejects frequencies of a desired pass band of the second filter, and the second filter rejects frequencies of a desired pass band of the first filter.

11. A wireless mesh network comprising:

a plurality of wireless access nodes, each wireless access nodes in communication with at least one other wireless access node, each wireless access node comprising;

a first radio operable to transmit/receive on a subset of N transmission channels, one channel at a time;

a second radio operable to transmit/receive on another subset of N transmission channels, a different channel at a time;

a first filter bank of at least 2 but less than N filters for filtering a first transmit/receive signal of the first radio; and

a second filter bank of at least 2 but less than N filters for filtering a second transmit/receive signal of the second radio, at least one of the pass-bands of the second filter bank being different than the pass-bands of the first filter bank;

wherein N is greater than 2, and wherein the combination of the first radio and the second radio are operable to transmit/receive on all N transmission channels.

12. The wireless mesh network of claim 11, wherein the mesh network comprises a gateway, and the access nodes allow a client communicate with at least one access node, providing communication between the client and the gateway.

13. The wireless mesh network of claim 11, wherein the first radio is operable to communicate with a first device and a second device within the mesh network, and the second radio is operable to communicate with the first device and the second device within the mesh network.

14. The wireless mesh network of claim 11, wherein depending upon a selected routing within the mesh network, the first radio is in communication with at least one of the first device and the second device, and the second radio is in communication with the other of the first device and the second device.

15. The wireless mesh network of claim 14, wherein the selected routing is dynamic.

16. The wireless mesh network of claim 11, wherein downstream data flows from the gateway to the client, and upstream data flows from the client to the gateway.

17. The wireless mesh network of claim 16 wherein the second radio and the first radio of each access node can be rotated between downstream data transmission and upstream data transmission.

18. The wireless access node of claim 11, wherein each filter of the first filter bank has a corresponding complementary filter within the second filter bank.

19. The wireless access node of claim 18, wherein a first filter is complementary to a second filter if the first filter rejects frequencies of a desired pass band of the second filter, and the second filter rejects frequencies of a desired pass band of the first filter.