Autonomous Wireless Network Planning Using Mobile Signal Probes

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Solution Overview

Problem

Planning wireless networks in complex environments, such as industrial plants, is challenging due to factors like topology and material types, leading to costly and time-consuming manual methods that may not meet quality requirements.

Innovation Solution

The use of unmanned mobile vehicles, including anchor and probe vehicles, to navigate and emit wireless signals, capture data, and determine optimal access point locations based on signal quality, allowing for autonomous and efficient network planning.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If manual survey and trial-and-error methods are used for wireless network planning, then network quality requirements can be met, but the process becomes costly and time-consuming

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenetwork qualityVSAvoidplanning time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces manual mechanical surveying methods with an automated system using mobile vehicles equipped with wireless signal capture devices. The system automatically navigates through the environment, captures signal strength data, and processes it to determine optimal access point locations, eliminating the need for manual trial-and-error deployment while maintaining network quality requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs self-service by autonomously conducting the entire network planning process. The mobile vehicles independently navigate the environment, capture wireless signal data, process the captured information to identify optimal access point locations, and generate deployment recommendations without requiring manual intervention at each step, significantly reducing planning time and costs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

2Reliability

If manual survey and trial-and-error methods are used for wireless network planning, then network quality requirements can be met, but the cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenetwork qualityVSAvoidplanning cost
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces expensive manual surveying and trial-and-error deployment with an automated mobile vehicle system. The system uses standardized wireless signal capture equipment mounted on vehicles that can autonomously collect data and process it to determine optimal access point locations, eliminating the need for costly manual labor while ensuring network quality requirements are met.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The mobile vehicle system serves multiple functions: it navigates the environment, captures wireless signal data, processes the captured information, and generates deployment recommendations. This multi-functional approach consolidates what would otherwise require multiple separate manual processes into a single automated system, reducing overall planning costs while maintaining network quality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Reliability

If complex environmental factors are considered in wireless network planning, then network quality can be ensured, but the planning difficulty increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenetwork qualityVSAvoidplanning complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces complex manual analysis of environmental factors with an automated data collection and processing system. Mobile vehicles equipped with wireless signal capture devices automatically navigate through the environment, collecting signal strength data that inherently reflects all environmental factors (building materials, topology, objects). The system processes this data to determine optimal access point locations, eliminating the need for manual environmental assessment while ensuring network quality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Solution Approach 2:

The system introduces wireless signal strength data as an intermediary that indirectly captures the effects of complex environmental factors. Instead of directly analyzing building materials, topology, and objects, the system measures how these factors actually affect wireless signal propagation and uses this empirical data to determine optimal access point locations, simplifying the planning process while maintaining network quality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This approach reduces the difficulty, cost, and time required for wireless network planning while ensuring sufficient network quality, meeting latency, redundancy, connectivity, and signal coverage requirements.

Implementation Method 1

capturing, by the second unmanned mobile vehicle while navigating along the route, data associated with a wireless signal emitted by the first unmanned mobile vehicle

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectWireless signal propagation: Electromagnetic Induction

Data Source

PatentEP2903323B1Planning a wireless network
Publication Date: 2018.12.19 HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC
  • EP2903323B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2903323B1 patent drawingFigure 2A~2B

AI summary

Planning a wireless network is described herein. One method includes navigating a first unmanned mobile vehicle to a location in an environment, navigating a second unmanned mobile vehicle along a route through the environment, capturing, by the second unmanned mobile vehicle while navigating along the route, data associated with a wireless signal emitted by the first unmanned mobile vehicle at the location and locations of the second unmanned mobile vehicle while the second unmanned mobile vehicle is capturing the data associated with the wireless signal, and determining locations to place a number of wireless network access points in the environment based on the captured data.