Wireless Device Manager Gateway for Industrial Networks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current industrial wireless networks face limitations in range and battery life due to the need for multiple hops and high bandwidth consumption, leading to increased costs and maintenance challenges, especially when transmitting data over longer distances.
Innovation Solution
The integration of a wireless device manager using a long-range low power wide area network protocol, such as LoRaWAN, which enables direct communication over several kilometers, reduces the need for repeaters and supports both ISA100 and WirelessHART protocols, acting as a gateway and access point to manage data transmission efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of stationary object
If multiple battery-powered routers are installed to extend transmission distance, then network range is improved, but battery life deteriorates due to high bandwidth consumption from forwarding packets in both directions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a dual-radio gateway system where one radio handles long-range communication with remote sensors and another handles short-range mesh networking. This intermediary architecture eliminates the need for battery-powered routers to perform both long-range and mesh forwarding functions simultaneously, thereby reducing their bandwidth consumption and extending battery life while maintaining extended network range through the dedicated long-range radio.
2Device complexity
If maximum hop size is increased to reduce number of routers, then device count is reduced, but network capacity deteriorates due to higher bandwidth consumption in routers closer to access points
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the network communication functions by separating long-range communication (handled by dedicated long-range radios in gateway and sensors) from mesh networking functions (handled by short-range radios). This segmentation allows routers to operate at optimal hop sizes for mesh networking without being forced to use larger hops that would reduce network capacity, thereby maintaining both reduced device count and high network capacity.
3Reliability
If packet forwarding uses multiple time slots per hop for bidirectional communication, then communication reliability is improved, but transmission latency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The dual-radio gateway acts as an intermediary that consolidates bidirectional communication traffic. Remote sensors communicate reliably with the gateway using dedicated long-range radio time slots, while the gateway handles all mesh networking and packet forwarding through its short-range radio. This eliminates the need for battery-powered routers to perform time-consuming bidirectional forwarding operations, thereby reducing transmission latency while maintaining communication reliability through the dedicated long-range connection.
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure provides an apparatus and method for integrating long-range wireless devices in industrial wireless networks. A wireless device manager is configured to function as a gateway for at least one industrial wireless network. The gateway is associated with at least one industrial wireless network protocol; and the wireless device manager comprises a first radio module configured to communicate directly with one or more devices over a distance of at least about two kilometers using a long-range wide area network protocol.