WIRELESS LOCAL AREA NETWORK RECEIVER AND ASSOCIATED METHOD

Abstract

A wireless local area network (WLAN) includes a server and receiver, which includes a radio frequency (RF) front-end circuit that receives wireless signals from the mobile nodes within the WLAN and detects baseband signals. A signal waveform detector edge detects a signal waveform and generates a trigger signal indicative of the modulation type, data format and time-of-arrival (TOA) information of a desired signal to be captured. A baseband processor receives the trigger signal from the signal waveform detector and captures the desired signal. A system controller is connected to the baseband processor and configures the baseband processor for processing the desired signal and obtaining message data and signal metrics that are transferred to the system controller to be communicated outbound from the receiver as a client to the server.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description of the invention which follows, when considered in light of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a WLAN system showing basic components of a WLAN receiver in accordance with a non-limiting example of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example of a diversity antenna for the receiver in accordance with a non-limiting example of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an active antenna for the receiver in accordance with another non-limiting example of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a high-level block diagram of one example of the circuit architecture that can be modified for use as part of a processor for determining first-to-arrive signals.

FIG. 5 is another high-level block diagram of an example of the circuit architecture that can be used as modified for correlation-based signal processors.

Claims

1. A wireless local area network (WLAN), comprising: a server;a receiver in communication with said server as a network client, and comprising, a radio frequency (RE) front-end circuit that receives wireless signals from mobile nodes within the WLAN and detects baseband signals;a signal waveform detector connected to the RF front-end circuit for edge detecting a signal waveform and generating a trigger signal indicative of the modulation type, data format and time-of-arrival (TOA) information of a desired signal to be captured;a baseband processor connected to the RF front-end circuit and the signal waveform detector that receives the trigger signal from the signal waveform detector and captures the desired signal; anda system controller connected to the baseband processor that configures the baseband processor for processing the desired signal and obtaining message data and signal metrics that are transferred to the system controller to be communicated outbound from the receiver to the server.

2. The WLAN according to claim 1, and further comprising a media access control (MAC) device connected between said system controller and said server.

3. The WLAN according to claim 1, and further comprising a TOA processor connected to said baseband processor that receives the TOA information and generates a time stamp for the desired signal.

4. The WLAN according to claim 3, wherein said TOA processor is operative for processing TOA information when said receiver is part of a geometric array of networked nodes and determining first-to-arrive signals based on a common network timing signal and conducting differentiation of the first-to-arrive signals to locate a desired wireless node.

5. The WLAN according to claim 1, and further comprising a wireless network connection between said server and said receiver.

6. The WLAN according to claim 1, and further comprising a wired network connection between said server and said receiver.

7. The WLAN according to claim 1, and further comprising diversity antennas connected to the RF front-end circuit and providing spatial diversity.

8. The WLAN according to claim 7, wherein said system controller is operative for controlling signal selection and RF signal based selection of dual RF channels connected to said diversity antenna.

9. The WLAN according to claim 1, and further comprising a wireless access point connected to said receiver.

10. The WLAN according to claim 9, and further comprising a multiplexer switch connected between said receiver and said wireless access point for selectively switching signals between said receiver and said wireless access point.

11. A receiver operative as a client in a wireless local area network (WLAN) r comprising: a radio frequency (RE) front-end circuit that receives wireless signals from mobile nodes within the WLAN and detects baseband signals;a signal waveform detector connected to the RE front-end circuit for edge detecting a signal waveform and generating a trigger signal indicative of the modulation type, data format and time-of-arrival (TOA) information of a desired signal to be captured;a baseband processor connected to the RF front-end circuit and the signal waveform detector that receives the trigger signal from the signal waveform detector and captures the desired signal; anda system controller connected to the baseband processor that configures the baseband processor for processing the desired signal and obtaining message data and signal metrics that are transferred to the system controller to be communicated outbound from the receiver to the server.

12. The receiver according to claim 11, and further comprising a media access control (MAC) device connected between said system controller and said server.

13. The receiver according to claim 11, and further comprising a TOA processor connected to said baseband processor that receives the TOA information and generates a time stamp for the desired signal.

14. The receiver according to claim 11, wherein said TOA processor is operative for processing TOA information when said receiver is part of a geometric array of networked nodes and determining first-to-arrive signals based on a common network timing signal and conducting differentiation of the first-to-arrive signals to locate a desired wireless node.

15. The receiver according to claim 11, and further comprising a wireless network connection between said server and said receiver.

16. The receiver according to claim 11, and further comprising a wired network connection between said server and said receiver.

17. The receiver according to claim 11, and further comprising diversity antennas connected to the RF front-end circuit and providing spatial diversity.

18. The receiver according to claim 17, wherein said system controller is operative for controlling signal selection and RF signal based selection of dual REF channels.

19. The receiver according to claim 11, and further comprising a wireless access point connected to said receiver.

20. The receiver according to claim 19, and further comprising a multiplexer switch connected between said receiver and said wireless access point for selectively switching signals between said receiver and wireless access point.

21. A method of communicating within a wireless local area network (WLAN), comprising, receiving at a receiver wireless signals transmitted from mobile nodes within the WLAN;detecting baseband signals within the receiver;generating a trigger signal indicative of a modulation type, data format and time-of-arrival (TOA) information of a desired signal to be captured;receiving the trigger signal and in response, capturing the desired signal;processing the desired signal to obtain message data and signal metrics; andtransmitting the message data and signal metrics to a WLAN server.

22. The method according to claim 21, which further comprises transmitting the message data and signal metrics through a media access control (MAC) device connected between the receiver and a WLAN server.

23. The method according to claim 21, which further comprises receiving TOA information and generating a time stamp for the desired signal.

24. The method according to claim 23, which further comprises processing TOA information and determining a first-to-arrive signal based on a common timing signal and conducting differentiation of the first-to-arrive signals to locate a desired wireless node.

25. The method according to claim 21, which further comprises controlling signal selection into dual RF channels based on RE signal detection.

26. The method according to claim 21, which further comprises transmitting the message data and signal metrics through a wireless access point operative with the receiver.