Abstract: A system and method for synchronizing a wireless network comprising a first node operable pursuant to a first time-division multiple access (TDMA) scheme and a second node operable pursuant to a second TDMA scheme, wherein the first TDMA scheme and the second TDMA scheme each comprise a plurality of ticks, and wherein the first node and the second node each comprise a tick counter for determining the time moment at which a transmission is made or at which a signal is received by the node.

Abstract: An ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio access system having a series of remote terminals, where each remote terminal is capable of forming a node, or hop, of the routing of a call made by one of the series of terminals. The call is routed along a routing path of terminals based on the class-of-service. If the call to be transmitted is a voice call, then a routing bath having low latency will be selected. If the call is a video transmission, then a routing path of low bit-error without excessive latency will be chosen. If the call is a data transmission, then the least-energy routing path will be chosen.

Abstract: A system and method for improving the ability of a wireless communications network, such as a packet-switched data communications network, to provide service to mobile user terminals. The system and method employs a mobile access point, adapted for use with the packet-switched communications network, to provide a mobile wireless user terminal with access to the network, and a method for using the same. The mobile access point can be mounted to a mobile vehicle and receives substantially constant power from the vehicle, and is adapted to transmit and receive communications signals to and from wireless user terminals, fixed access points and other networks and mobile access points. The mobile access point includes at least one or more transceivers, which allows the access point to support multiple wireless communication protocols. A first protocol may be supported allowing network access, and a second protocol may be used for backhaul service.

Abstract: A bus architecture system to provide concurrency, fabricated on an integrated circuit for a system on chip design, for connecting a plurality of bus masters to a plurality of bus slaves. The system includes a plurality of multiplexers in communication with each data in port of each bus master and each bus slave. The system also includes a plurality of isolated data paths connecting the port out of each bus master to each multiplexer in communication with each data in port of each bus slave, and a plurality of isolated data paths connecting the port out of each bus slave to each multiplexer in communication with each data in port of each bus master, thereby providing concurrency on the system on chip design. In addition a distributed arbitration is included to allow each bus slave to be selected independently of the other bus slaves.

Abstract: A method for controlling packet transmission power by a node in a wireless communication network, the method comprising: determining respective values for a number of sample data rates collected; determining a target data rate, wherein the target data rate is a weighted average of the respective values; and adjusting packet transmission power based on a result of a comparison of an average data rate in current traffic and channel conditions to the target data rate.

Abstract: A method for routing data packets from a source to a destination in a wireless communication network comprising a plurality of nodes, wherein each node is in uplink-downlink association with at least one neighboring node, and wherein each node comprises a registration table identifying all downlink nodes that are associated with the node, the method comprising: sending an Open Stream message from a source node which specifies a destination node; and receiving the Open Stream message at the uplink node of the source node, wherein the uplink node relays the Open Stream message to the destination node if the destination node is registered in the registration table of the uplink node.

Abstract: A system and method for detecting communication requirements in a network and placing nodes in various stages of activity where conditions allow. The system and method provides an algorithm to detect changes in node activity levels and alter operations, such as update transmissions and route selections, based upon changes detected. In particular, the algorithm determines activity level at a node at each routing update interval based on factors such as a number of new destinations the node can reach, a number of route modifications that the node can implement, a number of routes from the node whose lengths have changed and a number of destinations the node can no longer reach. The node can then increase or decrease the rate that it exchanges its routing information with neighboring nodes based on an increase or decrease in this activity level.

Abstract: A system and method for efficiently and effectively simulating hardware-in-the-loop testing of a wireless communications network. The system and method employs an optical matrix-vector multiplier (MVM) for performing optical signal processing to simulate radio frequency (RF) signal propagation characteristics in a mobile wireless communications network. Specifically, the system and method employs an optical modulator, which is adapted to modulate optical energy with signal energy, such as radio frequency (RF) signal energy, propagating from a first group of transceivers of the network to form a vector of optical signals. The optical matrix-vector multiplier (MVM) receives the vector of optical signals, and has a matrix of optical channel weights which are modifiable in accordance with desired parameters to represent at least on parameter of the wireless network. The optical MVM is further adapted to output signals based on the received vector of optical signals and the optical channel weights.

Abstract: A novel protocol for an ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio network that provides collision-free channel access with an emphasis on improving geographic reuse of the frequency spectrum. The protocol of the invention is executed on the reservation or control channel, and provides a method for allocating data transactions on the data channels. The system of the invention utilizes multiple parallel data channels that are coordinated by a single reservation channel. The transceiver of the system employs two modems to solve the channel reliability issues with multiple channel designs, where one is dedicated as a receive-only modem for gathering channel usage information on the reservation channel. High quality voice, video and data may be transmitted. The reservation channel implements a time division multiple access algorithm with dynamic slot allocation. In a distributed manner, nodes determine geographic reuse of slots based on channel quality extracted from the modem.

Abstract: A system and method for deploying a network of wireless devices, including mobile terminals, wireless routers and a least one control console, within a three dimensional deployment area such as a building, so that communication, identification and position calculations of personnel, such as firefighters, using the mobile terminals can be achieved regardless of building structure. The wireless routers are deployed in a substantial vertical manner in staircases and elevator shafts of a building of interest, either in advance as part of a safety program or immediately upon arrival of firefighters or other team at the building during an emergency. The system and method according to the embodiment of the present invention described herein uses both TOF and RSSI between the mobile terminals and wireless routers to identify the floor numbers where firefighters are located and to track firefighter movements.

Abstract: An ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio access system for cellular communications systems using time division duplex as a way of maximizing the bits/hz/km2 for cellular systems. The network architecture of the ad-hoc system allows the radio access to be integrated with the fixed components of a conventional cellular system, PSTN or ISP. The objective is to make the system of the invention transparent to the features and services provided by the external network. The advantages of such a system to a cellular operator are that significantly less infrastructure is required, and that the RF spectrum is more efficiently utilized resulting in much lower building and operating costs. The system architecture is comprised of remote terminals, routers, gateways, and at least one gateway controller that interfaces the ad-hoc system to a cellular network system. The ad-hoc system of the invention allows for both voice and data transmissions and receptions.

Abstract: A system and method including an algorithm that can use the linear time shift property of the subcarrier modulation to provide accurate frame synchronization for communications between nodes in a wireless network, where nodes employ orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) modems. The subcarrier modulation is typically performed with a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) that includes a time shift between Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) and guard interval insertion at transmission, but due to the guard insertion, the system and method of the present invention corrects the time shifts allowing accurate TOF calculations.

Abstract: A system and method for maximizing channel utilization by efficiently allocating codes and frequencies based on estimated relative interference between subscriber units in a wireless communications network, such as an ad-hoc wireless communications network, in such a way as to minimize multiple access interference. The system and method perform the operations of collecting existing and proposed transmission information between nodes in the network, and calculating a respective interference factor for each existing transmission between certain nodes and each proposed transmission by a transmitting node. The interference factors can be calculated based on, for example, respective distances between certain nodes. The system and method then assign the communications channel configuration, including a frequency channel and code channel, to the transmitting node for communications to other nodes as designated by a minimum of the calculated respective interference factors.

Abstract: A system and method for calculating an optimum transmission power level in an ad-hoc network communication path having a maximum number of transmission hops. The system and method calculates an optimum transmission power level for transmission routes having a maximum number of hops between nodes and transmits the communication using the calculated power level such that a transmission path is achieved that results in a maximum pipeline delay during transmission that does not exceed allowable levels for the service class provided.

Abstract: A novel protocol for an ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio network that provides collision-free channel access with an emphasis on improving geographic reuse of the frequency spectrum. The protocol of the invention is executed on the reservation or control channel, and provides a method for allocating data transactions on the data channels. The system of the invention utilizes multiple parallel data channels that are coordinated by a single reservation channel. The transceiver of the system employs two modems to solve the channel reliability issues with multiple channel designs, where one is dedicated as a receive-only modem for gathering channel usage information on the reservation channel. High quality voice, video and data may be transmitted. The reservation channel implements a time division multiple access algorithm with dynamic slot allocation. In a distributed manner, nodes determine geographic reuse of slots based on channel quality extracted from the modem.

Abstract: A novel protocol for an ad-hoc, peer-to-peer radio network that provides collision-free channel access with an emphasis on improving geographic reuse of the frequency spectrum. The protocol of the invention is executed on the reservation or control channel, and provides a method for allocating data transactions on the data channels. The system of the invention utilizes multiple parallel data channels that are coordinated by a single reservation channel. The transceiver of the system employs two modems to solve the channel reliability issues with multiple channel designs, where one is dedicated as a receive-only modem for gathering channel usage information on the reservation channel. High quality voice, video and data may be transmitted. The reservation channel implements a time division multiple access algorithm with dynamic slot allocation. In a distributed manner, nodes determine geographic reuse of slots based on channel quality extracted from the modem.

Abstract: A system and method for improving the accuracy in computing the location of a mobile subscriber device connected in a wireless network. The system and method employ a predictive filter, including a measurement weight algorithm to decrease standard deviation error, to correctly determine a location of a mobile subscriber device. The predictive filter requires lower levels of computation, which allows for real-time processing on low-speed central processing units commonly used in wireless networks.

Abstract: A system and method for a media access control (MAC) scheduling algorithm having a distributed, self-coordinating approach to provide use fairness and service differentiation in an ad hoc network by using control RTS/CTS messages carrying node status information. A local scheduling algorithm uses the overheard RTS/CTS information with attributes specifying nodes' status to maximize the awareness of the neighborhood status for a multi-channel system where data and ACK messages are transmitted through different data channels. If the system uses a single channel, the corresponding information may be carried by using DATA or ACK messages. The algorithm measures the offered load, carried load, and backlogged load in the neighborhood to adjust the channel access timer to provide use fairness among different nodes, different links, and different streams.

Abstract: The proposed multicast architecture for multi-hop wireless mesh networks addresses a very important but never discussed and studied problem for wireless mesh networks to efficiently support multicast applications. The proposed multicast architecture for multi-hop wireless mesh networks enables the mesh networks to join the global multicast group seamlessly, and extend the multicast support to any routable or non-routable devices in the wireless mesh networks.

Abstract: A communications network which is capable of effectively and efficiently handling mobility of wireless user terminals between access point nodes of a packet-switched network with minimal overhead and packet loss, and a method for using the same. The communications network employs a packet-switched core network and a plurality of access points coupled to the core network. Each access point is adapted to provide any user terminal with wireless communications access to the core network when that user terminal becomes affiliated with that access point. The system and method further employ ad-hoc routing techniques during handoff of a wireless user terminal between access point nodes of the core network to enable the network to maintain multiple paths via which data packets are provided to the user terminal during handoff to substantially eliminate packet loss during handoff.