Smart appliance for self-sustaining wireless network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11076449-B2
Application number	US-201715647405-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 12, 2017
Priority date	Jul 12, 2017
Publication date	Jul 27, 2021
Grant date	Jul 27, 2021

Abstract

Disclosed herein are systems and techniques to self-sustain a wireless network. A wireless base station and a mobile wireless extender are provided. The wireless base station can provide a wireless network. Furthermore, the mobile wireless extended can navigate within an environment to extend the wireless network provided by the wireless base station.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for a wireless network, comprising:
a movement subsystem;
a wireless interconnect;
a rechargeable battery;
a processor, coupled to the movement subsystem and the wireless interconnect; and
memory, the memory comprising instructions executable by the processor and environment data including indications of a map of an indoor environment, the indoor environment including at least a first room and a second room, the instructions when executed by the processor cause the processor to:
receive, from a wireless base station (WBS) located in the first room of the indoor environment, a first control signal including an indication to roam within the indoor environment and sample the wireless network to measure levels of signal strength of the wireless network within the indoor environment;
activate, responsive to the first control signal, the movement subsystem to roam within the indoor environment and measure levels of signal strength of the wireless network;

send, to the WBS, an information element including indications of the measured levels of signal strength;
receive, from the WBS, a second control signal including an indication to navigate to the second room of the indoor environment and extend a wireless network for the indoor environment into the second room of the indoor environment, the second control signal generated by the WBS and based on at least one network statistic of the wireless network, the second control signal received via the wireless network and the wireless interconnect, wherein the second room of the indoor environment has a measured level of signal strength below a threshold value;
activate, responsive to the second control signal, the movement subsystem to navigate, based on the map, the apparatus to the second room of the indoor environment;
activate the wireless interconnect to enlarge a coverage area of the wireless network by extending the wireless network provided by the WBS into the second room of the indoor environment; and
activate the movement subsystem to navigate the apparatus adjacent to a dock, located in the indoor environment, to couple the apparatus with the dock to recharge the rechargeable battery.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , the movement subsystem comprising at least one of wheels, rollers, tracks, propellers, or rotors.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , the at least one network statistic comprising a quality of service level between the WBS and at least one user device.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the second control signal is generated by the WBS and is based on at the least one network statistic of the wireless network and rules, the rules comprising at least one threshold level of service corresponding to the at least one network statistic.

5. A method comprising:
receiving, from a wireless base station (WBS) located in a first room of an indoor environment, a first control signal including an indication roam within the indoor environment and sample a wireless network to measure levels of signal strength of the wireless network within the indoor environment;
activating, responsive to the first control signal, a movement subsystem to roam within the indoor environment and measure levels of signal strength of the wireless network;
sending, to the WBS, an information element including indications of the measured levels of signal strength;
receiving, from the WBS, a second control signal including an indication to navigate to a second room of the indoor environment and extend a wireless network provided by the WBS for the indoor environment into the second room of the indoor environment, the second control signal received via the wireless network and a wireless interconnect of a mobile wireless extender (MWE), wherein the second room of the indoor environment has a measured level of signal strength below a threshold value;
activating, responsive to the second control signal, a movement subsystem of the MWE to navigate, based on a map of the indoor environment, the MWE to the second room of the indoor environment;
activating, responsive to the second control signal, the wireless interconnect of the MWE to enlarge a coverage area of the wireless network by extending the wireless network into the second room of the indoor environment;
sending a return control signal to the movement subsystem to cause the MWE to navigate, based on the map, the MWE adjacent to an MWE dock located in the indoor environment;
coupling the MWE to the MWE dock; and
recharging a rechargeable battery of the MWE.

6. The method of claim 5 , the movement subsystem comprising at least one of wheels, rollers, tracks, propellers, or rotors.

7. The method of claim 5 , comprising:
determining at least one network statistic for the wireless network;
generating the second control signal based on the at least one network statistic; and
sending the second control signal to the MWE.

8. The method of claim 7 , the at least one network statistic comprising a quality of service level between the WBS and at least one user device.

9. The method of claim 7 , comprising generating the second control signal based in part on the at least one network statistic and rules.

10. The method of claim 9 , the rules comprising at least one threshold level of service corresponding to the at least one network statistic.

11. The method of claim 10 , comprising generating the second control signal based on a determination that the at least one network statistic is below the at least one threshold level.

12. At least one machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions that when executed by circuitry of a mobile wireless extender (MWE), cause the circuitry of the MWE to:
receive, from a wireless base station (WBS) located in a first room of an indoor environment, a first control signal including an indication to roam within the indoor environment and sample a wireless network to measure levels of signal strength of the wireless network within the indoor environment;
activate, responsive to the first control signal, a movement subsystem of the MWE to cause the MWE to roam within the indoor environment and measure levels of signal strength of the wireless network;
send, to the WBS, an information element including indications of the measured levels of signal strength;
receive, from the WBS, a second control signal including an indication to navigate to a second room of the indoor environment and extend a wireless network provided by the WBS for the indoor environment into the second room of the indoor environment, the second control signal received via a wireless network provided by the WBS in the indoor environment and a wireless interconnect of the MWE, wherein the second room of the indoor environment has a measured level of signal strength below a threshold value;
activate, responsive to the second control signal, a movement subsystem of the MWE to navigate, based on a map of the indoor environment, the MWE to the second room of the indoor environment;
activate, responsive to the second control signal, the wireless interconnect of the MWE to enlarge a coverage area of the wireless network by extending the wireless network into the second room of the indoor environment;
activate the movement subsystem to cause the MWE to navigate, based on the map, the MWE adjacent to an MWE dock located in the indoor environment;
couple the MWE to the MWE dock; and
recharge a rechargeable battery of the MWE.

13. The at least one machine-readable storage medium of claim 12 , the movement subsystem comprising at least one of wheels, rollers, tracks, propellers, or rotors.

14. The at least one ma

Assignees

• Intel Corp

Inventors

• Pogorelik Oleg
• Priev Avi
• Gaidar Tamara

Classifications

• G05D1/0285

  using signals transmitted via a public communication network, e.g. GSM network · CPC title

• G05D1/0274

  using mapping information stored in a memory device (navigation using map-matching G01C21/30) · CPC title

• H04W24/02 Primary

  Arrangements for optimising operational condition · CPC title

• H04W84/047

  using dedicated repeater stations · CPC title

• H04W88/085 Primary

  Access point devices with remote components · CPC title