RF port for multiple wireless local area networks

• US 8,391,256 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2007
• Issued: 03/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Beach, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Hamza, Faruk
• Assistant Examiner(s): GUADALUPE, AIXA
• Application Number:
  US11/622,074
• Publication Number:
  US 20070171883A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,245 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4625 Single bridge functionality, e.g. connection of two networks over a single bridge
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/00 Wireless channel access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A wireless local area network is provided with simplified RF ports which are configured to provide lower level media access control functions. Higher level media access control functions are provided in a cell controller, which may service one or more RF ports that are capable operating with at least two wireless local area subnetworks. Mobile units can also be configured with the higher level media access control functions being performed in a host processor.

Claims

1. A Radio Frequency (RF) port adapted for a wireless communication system and for use with a cell controller which performs a second plurality of functions of a wireless communication standard protocol and that is at least partially housed in a first housing, comprising:

a second housing that is physically separate and spatially remote from said first housing, and is removeably coupled to the first housing via an Ethernet cable;

a RF receiver housed in said second housing, said RF receiver adapted to receive a first RF signal of a first Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) having a first coverage area and adapted to receive a second RF signal of a second WLAN having a second coverage area that at least partially overlaps said first coverage area, wherein the first WLAN and the second WLAN are accessible at the same time; and

a processor housed in said second housing, said processor receptive of said first RF signal and said second RF signal from said RF receiver and adapted to perform a first plurality of functions of the a wireless communication standard protocol without performing the second plurality of functions of the wireless communication standard protocol during at least one an operational mode to produce a first data signal from said first RF signal and a second data signal from said second RF signal;

wherein the first plurality of functions and the second plurality of functions each include at least one media access control (MAC) function of the wireless communication standard protocol.

2. The RF port of claim 1, wherein said wireless communication standard protocol is an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard protocol.

3. The RF port of claim 1, wherein said at least one media access control function includes a non-time-critical media access control function.

4. The RF port of claim 3, wherein said second plurality of functions includes a cyclic redundancy check function.

5. The RF port of claim 3, wherein said second plurality of functions includes a network activity vector function.

6. The RF port of claim 3, wherein said second plurality of functions includes a ready to send/clear to send function.

7. The RF port of claim 3, wherein said second plurality of functions includes a header generation/parsing function.

8. The RF port of claim 3, wherein said second plurality of functions includes a collision avoidance function.

9. The RF port of claim 3, wherein said second plurality of functions includes a frequency hopping function.

10. The RF port of claim 3, wherein said second plurality of functions includes an ack parsing/generating function.

11. The RF port of claim 3, wherein said second plurality of functions includes a retransmission timeout function.

12. The RF port of claim 3, wherein said first plurality of functions includes a retransmission function.

13. The RF port of claim 3, wherein said first plurality of functions includes a rate control function.

14. The RF port of claim 3, wherein said first plurality of functions includes a host interface function.

15. A Radio Frequency (RF) port adapted for a wireless communication system and for use with a cell controller which performs a second plurality of functions of a wireless communication standard protocol and that is at least partially housed in a first housing, comprising:

housing means for defining a second housing that is physically separate and spatially remote from said first housing, and is removeably coupled to the first housing via an Ethernet cable;

receiving means housed in said housing means for receiving a first RF signal and a second RF signal, said first RF signal of a first Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) having a first coverage area and said second RF signal of a second WLAN having a second coverage area that at least partially overlaps said first coverage area, wherein the first WLAN and the second WLAN are accessible at the same time; and

processing means housed in said housing means for processing said first RF signal and said second RF signal, said processing means adapted to receive said first RF signal and said second RF signal from the receiving means and to perform a first plurality of functions of the wireless communication standard protocol without performing the second plurality of functions of the wireless communication standard protocol during an operational mode to produce a first data signal from said first RF signal and a second data signal from said second RF signal, wherein the first plurality of functions and the second plurality of functions each include at least one media access control (MAC) function of the wireless communication standard protocol.

16. The RF port of claim 15, wherein said wireless communication standard protocol is an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard protocol.

17. The RF port of claim 15, wherein said first plurality of functions includes at least one time-critical MAC function.

18. The RF port of claim 17, wherein at least one of said time-critical MAC functions is a cyclic redundancy check function.

19. The RF port of claim 17, wherein at least one of said time-critical MAC functions is a network activity vector function.

20. The RF port of claim 17, wherein at least one of said time-critical MAC functions is a ready to send/clear to send function.

21. The RF port of claim 17, wherein at least one of said lower level time-critical MAC functions is a header generation/parsing function.

22. The RF port of claim 17, wherein at least one of said time-critical MAC functions is a collision avoidance function.

23. The RF port of claim 17, wherein at least one of said time-critical MAC functions is a frequency hopping function.

24. The RF port of claim 17, wherein at least one of said time-critical MAC functions is an ack parsing/generating function.

25. The RF port of claim 17, wherein at least one of said time-critical MAC functions is a retransmission timeout function.

26. The RF port of claim 15, wherein said second plurality of functions includes at least one non-time-critical MAC function.

27. The RF port of claim 26, wherein at least one of said non-time-critical MAC functions is an association processing function.

28. The RF port of claim 26, wherein at least one of said non-time-critical MAC functions is a roaming function.

29. The RF port of claim 26, wherein at least one of said non-time-critical MAC functions is a retransmission function.

30. The RF port of claim 26, wherein at least one of said non-time-critical MAC functions is a rate control function.

31. The RF port of claim 26, wherein at least one of said non-time-critical MAC functions is a host interface function.

32. A method of operating a Radio Frequency (RF) port that is at least partially housed in a first housing, adapted for a wireless communication system, and for use with a cell controller which performs a second plurality of functions of a wireless communication standard protocol and that is at least partially housed in a second housing physically separate and spatially remote from said first housing and is removeably coupled to the first housing via an Ethernet cable, comprising the steps of:

receiving a first RF signal of a first Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) having a first coverage area while receiving a second RF signal of a second WLAN having a second coverage area that at least partially overlaps said first coverage area, wherein the first WLAN and the second WLAN are accessible at the same time;

performing a first plurality of functions of the wireless communication standard protocol to produce a first data signal from said first RF signal and to produce a second data signal from said second RF signal without performing the second plurality of functions of the wireless communication standard protocol during an operational mode, wherein the first plurality of functions and the second plurality of functions each include at least one media access control (MAC) function of the wireless communication standard protocol.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein said wireless communication standard protocol is an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard protocol.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein said first plurality of functions include at least one time-critical MAC function.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein at least one of said time-critical MAC functions is a cyclic redundancy check function.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein at least one of said time-critical MAC functions is a network activity vector function.

37. The method of claim 34, wherein at least one of said time-critical MAC functions is a ready to send/clear to send function.

38. The method of claim 34, wherein at least one of said time-critical MAC functions is a header generation/parsing function.

39. The method of claim 34, wherein at least one of said time-critical MAC functions is a collision avoidance function.

40. The method of claim 34, wherein at least one of said time-critical MAC functions is a frequency hopping function.

41. The method of claim 34, wherein at least one of said time-critical MAC functions is an ack parsing/generating function.

42. The method of claim 34, wherein at least one of said time-critical MAC functions is a retransmission timeout function.

43. The method of claim 32, wherein said second plurality of functions include at least one non-time-critical MAC function.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein at least one of said non-time-critical MAC functions is a retransmission function.

45. The method of claim 43, wherein at least one of said non-time-critical MAC functions is a rate control function.

46. The method of claim 43, wherein at least one of said non-time-critical MAC functions is a host interface function.