1. A combined directional and mobile interleaved wireless mesh network, comprising:
a plurality of interleaved fixed directional mesh nodes, each directional node having at least a first relay radio assigned to communicate via a first channel and a second relay radio assigned to communicate via a second channel wherein said first radio and said second radio are each connected to one or more directional antennas wherein at least one directional antenna is aimed in a substantially orthogonal direction relative to at least one other directional antenna; and
a plurality of interleaved mobile mesh nodes, each mobile node having at least a third relay radio that communicates to the first relay radio of an adjacent directional node via the first channel and a fourth relay radio that communicates to the second relay radio of the adjacent directional node via the second channel wherein said third relay radio and said fourth relay radio are each connected to an omnidirectional antenna;
wherein said first common channel and said second common channel provide alternative paths for receiving packets to each node and for transmitting packets from each node such that an individual packet in a sequential stream of IP packets can utilize a different common channel than a packet which precedes said individual packet in the sequential stream.
2. The mesh network of claim 1 wherein the first radio and the second radio are each connected to four directional antennas by way of a radio frequency (RF) splitter and wherein each of said four directional antennas is aimed in one of four substantially orthogonal directions relative to one another and has a focused horizontal beam width angle of less than ninety degrees.
3. The mesh network of claim 2 wherein four independently controllable RF switches are positioned between said RF splitter and said four directional antennas such that transmission to at least one of said directions can be blocked in order to reduce interference on an adjacent node.
4. The mesh network of claim 1 wherein two adjacent packets in the sequential stream are propagated simultaneously via said first channel and said second channel.
5. The mesh network of claim 1 wherein a first packet is transmitted from a node via the first channel while a second packet is simultaneously being received to the node via the second channel.
6. The mesh network of claim 1 wherein each directional node has at least 8 radio-antenna combinations, each combination including a relay radio connected to a directional antenna, wherein at least two of said radio-antenna combinations are aimed in each of four substantially orthogonal directions relative to one another and wherein a first radio-antenna combination facing in each of said four directions communicates via the first channel and the second radio-antenna combination facing in each said four directions communicates via the second channel.
7. The mesh network of claim 1 wherein an individual packet from the sequential stream is received to a node via the first channel and transmitted from the node to an adjacent node via the second channel.
8. A combined directional and mobile interleaved wireless mesh network, comprising:
a plurality of fixed directional mesh nodes, each directional node having at least eight radio-antenna combinations, each combination including a radio connected to a directional antenna wherein at least two of said radio-antenna combinations cover each of four directional quadrants;
wherein a first radio-antenna combination covering one directional quadrant is assigned to communicate via a different channel than a second radio-antenna combination covering said one directional quadrant;
wherein one radio-antenna combination in each of said four directional quadrants operates on a common channel with one radio-antenna combination in an adjacent quadrant; and
wherein at least two of said radio-antenna combinations provide multiple parallel paths for receiving packets to said directional node from an adjacent node and for transmitting packets from said directional node to the adjacent node, such that an individual packet in a sequential stream of IP packets can utilize a different channel than a packet which precedes said individual packet in the sequential stream.
9. The mesh network of claim 8, further comprising:
a plurality of mobile mesh nodes, each mobile node having a first radio adapted to communicate with a radio-antenna combination of the directional node via a first channel and a second radio adapted to communicate with a different radio-antenna combination of the directional node via a second channel, wherein said first radio and said second radio are each connected to an omnidirectional antenna; and
wherein said first and second radios are also adapted to communicate with first and second radios on other mobile nodes respectively.
10. The mesh network of claim 9 wherein upon a mobile node moving from said one directional quadrant of the directional node into the adjacent directional quadrant, said first radio maintains a connection to the directional node via the first channel, said first channel being the common channel for the one quadrant and the adjacent quadrant of the directional node.
11. The mesh network of claim 10 wherein said second radio of the mobile node disengages from the directional node on said second channel and re-engages the directional node via a third channel while said first radio of the mobile node maintains said connection.
12. The mesh network of claim 11 whereby the mobile node maintains continuous uninterrupted communication with the directional node as the mobile node moves across a plurality of adjacent quadrants.
13. The mesh network of claim 8 wherein each of said four directional quadrants includes an area covered by two radio-antenna combinations aimed in the one of four substantially orthogonal directions.
14. The mesh network of claim 8 wherein each directional node communicates via four channels, each of said four channels covering two adjacent quadrants.
15. A combined directional and mobile interleaved wireless mesh network, comprising:
a plurality of fixed directional mesh nodes, each directional node having at least eight radio-antenna combinations, each combination including a radio connected to a directional antenna wherein at least two of said radio-antenna combinations are aimed in a substantially orthogonal direction relative to at least two others of said radio-antenna combinations;
wherein each of said radio-antenna combinations on a directional node is assigned to operate on a different channel from all other radio-antenna combinations on said directional node; and
wherein at least two of said radio-antenna combinations provide multiple parallel paths for receiving packets to said directional node from an adjacent node and for transmitting packets from said directional node to the adjacent node, such that an individual packet in a sequential stream of IP packets can utilize a different channel than a packet which precedes said individual packet in the sequential stream.
16. The mesh network of claim 15, further comprising:
a plurality of mobile mesh nodes, each mobile node having a first radio adapted to communicate with a first radio-antenna combination of the directional node via a first channel and a second radio adapted to communicate with a second radio-antenna combination of the directional node via a second channel, wherein said first radio and said second radio are each connected to an omnidirectional antenna; and
wherein said first and second radios are also adapted to communicate with first and second radios on other mobile mesh nodes respectively.
17. The mesh network of claim 16 wherein upon a mobile node roaming around the directional node, said first radio disengages communication with said first radio-antenna combination of the directional node and re-engages a third radio-antenna combination of the directional node via a third channel, said third radio-antenna combination facing in a direction substantially orthogonal to the first radio-antenna combination.
18. The mesh network of claim 17 wherein the second radio of the mobile node maintains a connection to the second-radio antenna combination of the directional node while said first radio of the mobile node disengages and re-engages communication with the directional node.
19. The mesh network of claim 18 wherein the second radio of the mobile node transmits instructions to any connected ad hoc mobile nodes via the second radio, said instructions informing the connected ad hoc mobile nodes to switch communication on said first radio from the first channel to the third channel.
20. The mesh network of claim 15 wherein the plurality of fixed directional nodes comprise a substantially rectangular directional grid wherein directional nodes that are positioned diagonally on the grid have identical channel assignments.
21. A combined directional and mobile interleaved wireless mesh network, comprising:
a plurality of mobile mesh nodes, each mobile node including a first and second relay radios assigned to operate on different channels, each relay radio connected to an omnidirectional antenna and suitable for communicating with directional nodes and with other mobile nodes; and
a plurality of fixed directional mesh nodes, each directional node including a third relay radio dedicated to communicate with other fixed directional nodes, said third relay radio connected to at least one of a first group of at least four directional antennas, each directional antenna being aimed in a substantially orthogonal direction relative to at least one other directional antenna; and
wherein each fixed directional node further includes at least two mobile-assigned relay radios dedicated to communicate with mobile nodes, wherein said two mobile-assigned relay radios provide alternative paths for receiving and transmitting packets between said fixed directional node and said mobile nodes such that an individual packet in a sequential stream of IP packets can utilize a different channel than a packet which precedes said individual packet in the sequential stream.
22. The combined directional and mobile interleaved wireless mesh network of claim 21 wherein each fixed directional node further includes a fourth relay radio assigned to communicate with other fixed directional nodes, said fourth relay radio connected to at least one of a second group of at least four directional antennas and assigned to operate on a different channel than said third relay radio; and
wherein said third relay radio and said fourth relay radio provide alternative paths for receiving and transmitting packets between said directional node and other fixed directional nodes such that an individual packet in a sequential stream of IP packets can utilize a different channel than a packet which precedes said individual packet in the sequential stream.
23. The combined directional and mobile interleaved wireless mesh network of claim 21 wherein each of said two mobile-assigned relay radios of each directional node is connected to at least four directional antennas by way of an RF splitter.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An apparatus comprising:
at least one ambient condition detector which includes circuitry that provides a stored, maximum sensed concentration indicator value, wherein the at least one ambient condition detector is selected from a class which includes at least one gas detector;
a docking station, releasably coupleable to the at least one ambient condition detector, the docking station includes control circuitry to receive and store selected information from the at least one ambient condition detector, and to acquire and reset the stored maximum sensed concentration indicator value in the at least one ambient condition detector and to determine whether to transmit a message to a displaced site remote to the at least one ambient condition detector; and
a communications element, coupled to the docking station, wherein the communications element comprises circuits to assign the at least one ambient condition detector to a single predetermined individual and further includes data storage to receive and store information identifying the at least one ambient condition detector, information identifying the single predetermined individual to which the at least one ambient condition detector is assigned, and the maximum sensed concentration indicator value, from the docking station wherein the communication element, responsive to the maximum sensed concentration indicator value received from the docking station from the at least one ambient condition detector when coupled thereto, transmits the message to the displaced site providing the information identifying the at least one ambient condition detector, the single predetermined individual and the maximum sensed concentration indicator value.
2. An apparatus as in claim 1 where the communications element receives and stores concentration exposure information for the at least one ambient condition detector along with the information identifying the individual to which the at least one ambient condition detector is assigned.
3. An apparatus as in claim 1 where a message indicating a sensed concentration of gas exposure exceeding a predetermined threshold concentration is transmitted to a remote location monitoring for excess ambient condition concentrations in a selected region.
4. An apparatus as in claim 3 which includes a data base, coupled to the communications element, to receive and store information from a plurality of gas detectors monitoring a selected region R.
5. An apparatus as in claim 1 where the at least one ambient condition detector comprises circuitry to latch and store the maximum sensed gas concentration indicator value.
6. An apparatus as in claim 1 which includes a plurality of ambient condition detectors and a plurality of docking stations with the docking stations coupled to the communications element, and, wherein each of the plurality of ambient condition detectors includes circuitry to only release the respective stored maximum sensed concentration indicator value in response to engaging and communicating with a respective docking station of the plurality of docking stations.
7. An ambient condition detector management system comprising:
a plurality of ambient condition detectors;
a plurality of detector docking stations wherein the plurality of ambient condition detectors are releasably engageable with a respective detector docking station of the plurality of the detector docking stations;
a transmission system coupled to the plurality of detector docking stations;
wherein the plurality of detector docking stations each include a processor and at least one memory device that stores assignment identification information to identify a respective one of the plurality ambient condition detectors to a single predetermined individual, a maximum sensed concentration indicator value, and further includes storing a plurality of instructions which when executed by the processor causes the processor to download sensed condition information, to reset the stored maximum sensed concentration indicator value of the respective ambient condition detector of the plurality of ambient condition detectors and to determine whether to transmit a message to a displaced site remote to the respective ambient condition detector of the plurality of the ambient condition detectors, providing the information identifying the at least one ambient condition detector, the single predetermined individual and the maximum sensed concentration indicator value.
8. A detector management system as in claim 7 wherein each of the plurality ambient condition detectors includes circuitry to store an indicium indicative of the maximum sensed concentration indicator value.
9. A detector management system as in claim 8 where the plurality of ambient condition detectors each include a local processor and at least one memory device that stores a plurality of instructions which when executed by the local processor causes the local processor to store the indicium indicative of the maximum sensed concentration indicator value at the respective ambient condition detector.
10. A method comprising:
sensing a plurality of ambient conditions by a plurality of ambient condition detectors each spaced apart in different locations in a region being monitored;
storing an indicator of a maximum gas concentration indicator value associated with at least some of the locations by respective ambient condition detectors of the plurality of ambient condition detectors associated with respective locations, and further storing assignment identification information to identify the respective ambient condition detectors of the plurality of ambient condition detectors to a single predetermined individual respectively, by respective detector docking stations of the respective ambient condition detectors;
forwarding each of the stored indicators, by the respective ambient condition detectors of the plurality of ambient condition detectors, via docking to the respective detector docking stations at the respective initial analysis locations, and responsive to initial analysis at the respective initial analysis locations, resetting the stored indicators by the respective detector docking stations of the respective ambient condition detectors, and forwarding all of the stored indicators from the respective initial analysis locations, to a common collection location by respective detector docking stations, wherein the common collection location comprises a communications element coupled to the respective detector docking stations of the respective ambient condition detectors to receive the stored indicators;
determining at the common location whether to send at least one emergency message indicating a sensed concentration of gas exposure exceeding a predetermined threshold concentration and the assignment identification information for each respective ambient condition detector of the plurality of ambient condition detectors, respectively, by the communications element; and
storing the initial analysis locations at the common location while forwarding the at least one emergency indicting message therefrom to a displaced monitoring site indicative of at least one of the stored indicators, by the communications element providing the information identifying the at least one ambient condition detector, the single predetermined individual and the maximum sensed concentration indicator value, respectively.