Distributed wireless intercom audio routing over ethernet with synchronization and roaming

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10912019-B2
Application number	US-201716328561-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 14, 2017
Priority date	Mar 14, 2016
Publication date	Feb 2, 2021
Grant date	Feb 2, 2021

Abstract

Methods and systems are presented for providing audio routing and roaming functionality for a wireless intercom system including a plurality of wireless access points. A first wireless access point is configured to receive a communication from a first wireless intercom device and identify a home access point for the first wireless intercom device. The first wireless access point transmits audio data from the first wireless intercom device directly to the intercom system in response to a determination that the first wireless access point is the home access point for the first wireless device. The audio data from the first wireless intercom device is transmitted to the intercom system through a second wireless access point in response to a determination that the second wireless access point is the home access point for the first wireless intercom device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wireless access point for an intercom system, the wireless access point comprising:
a wireless transceiver; and
an electronic processor configured to
receive a communication from a first wireless intercom device,
identify a home access point for the first wireless intercom device,
transmit audio data from the first wireless intercom device directly to the intercom system in response to a determination that the wireless access point is the home access point for the first wireless intercom device, and
transmit audio data from the first wireless intercom device to the intercom system through a second wireless access point in response to a determination that the second wireless access point is the home access point for the first wireless intercom device.

2. The wireless access point of claim 1 , wherein the wireless access point is communicatively coupled to the second wireless access point by a wired data connection, and wherein the electronic processor is configured to transmit the audio data from the first wireless intercom device to the intercom system through the second wireless access point by transmitting the audio data from the first wireless intercom device to the second wireless access point through the wired data connection.

3. The wireless access point of claim 2 , wherein the wired data connection includes an Ethernet connection.

4. The wireless access point of claim 2 , wherein the electronic processor is further configured to
receive a second audio data stream from the second wireless access point through the wired data connection, wherein the second audio data stream is wirelessly received by the second wireless access point from a second wireless intercom device, and
transmit the second audio data stream through the wireless transceiver to one or more additional wireless intercom devices connected to the intercom system through the wireless access point.

5. The wireless access point of claim 4 , wherein the electronic processor is further configured to regulate the second audio data stream from the second wireless access point according to synchronization parameters defined for wireless intercom devices that have been assigned the wireless access point as their home wireless access point and to minimize audio latency.

6. The wireless access point of claim 1 , wherein the electronic processor is configured to identify the home access point for the first wireless intercom device by receiving a signal from the first wireless intercom device identifying the home access point assigned to the first wireless intercom device.

7. The wireless access point of claim 1 , wherein the home access point assigned to the first wireless intercom device is selected based on a location where the first wireless intercom device is most often operated.

8. A method of routing audio stream data in an intercom system, the intercom system including a plurality of wireless access points and a plurality of wireless intercom devices, wherein each wireless intercom device of the plurality of wireless intercom devices is assigned one wireless access point of the plurality of wireless access points as a home access point for the wireless intercom device, the method comprising:
receiving, by a first wireless access point of the plurality of wireless access points, a communication from a first wireless intercom device of the plurality of wireless intercom devices;
identifying, by the first wireless access point, a home access point for the first wireless intercom device;
transmitting, by the first wireless access point, a first audio data stream from the first wireless intercom device directly to the intercom system in response to a determination that the first wireless access point is the home access point for the first wireless intercom device;
receiving, by the first wireless access point, a communication from a second wireless intercom device of the plurality of wireless intercom devices;
identifying, by the first wireless access point, a home access point for the second wireless intercom device;
transmitting, by the first wireless access point, a second audio data stream from the second wireless intercom device to a second wireless access point in response to a determination that the second wireless access point is the home access point for the second wireless intercom device; and
transmitting, by the second wireless access point, the second audio data stream from the second wireless intercom device to the intercom system.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein transmitting, by the first wireless access point, the second audio data stream from the second wireless intercom device to the second wireless access point includes transmitting the second audio data stream from the first wireless access point to the second wireless access point through a wired data connection communicatively coupling the first wireless access point to the second wireless access point.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein transmitting the second audio data stream from the first wireless access point to the second wireless access point through the wired data connection includes transmitting the second audio data stream from the first wireless access point to the second wireless access point through an Ethernet connection.

11. The method of claim 9 , further comprising
receiving, by the second wireless access point, a communication from a third wireless intercom device of the plurality of wireless intercom devices;
identifying, by the second wireless access point, a home access point for the third wireless intercom device;
transmitting, by the second wireless access point, a third audio data stream from the third wireless intercom device to the first wireless access point in response to a determination that the first wireless access point is the home access point for the third wireless intercom device; and
transmitting, by the first wireless access point, the third audio data stream from the third wireless intercom device to the intercom system.

12. The method of claim 8 , further comprising regulating, by the second wireless access point, the second audio data stream according to synchronization parameters defined for wireless intercom devices that have been assigned the second wireless access point as their home wireless access point and to minimize audio latency.

13. The method of claim 8 , wherein identifying the home access point of the second wireless intercom device includes receiving a signal from the second wireless intercom device identifying the home access point assigned to the second wireless intercom device.

14. The method of claim 8 , further comprising assigning a home access point to each wireless intercom device of the plurality of wireless intercom devices based on a location where each wireless intercom device of the plurality of wireless intercom devices is most often operated.

Assignees

• Bosch Gmbh Robert

Inventors

• Brchan Jason
• Andersen Jim
• Jenkins Keith
• Friesen La Rhue Gene

Classifications

• H04W48/20 Primary

  Selecting an access point · CPC title

• H04W56/0015

  one node acting as a reference for the others · CPC title

• H04M11/025

  Door telephones (adapted for television H04N7/186) · CPC title

• H04N7/186

  Video door telephones · CPC title

• H04W84/22

  with access to wired networks · CPC title