Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.v.

David M Avery

Philip Andrew Rudland

Phil A Jamieson

Adam C R Sexton

In a wireless network, a device regularly communicates with at least one other node or device: generally this is its parent. If a problem with communication is detected, the device is preferably able to autonomously carry out a procedure to reacquire the network. In one embodiment, if a device is unable to communicate, it enters a temporary failsafe mode until that problem can be rectified. The device is suitably able to carry out a survey of local conditions in order to assist both it and the network to find a suitable alternative channel and, if a device is unable to immediately reconnect it broadcasts the result of its survey, the Network Environment Status (NES) message, in the hope that another device on the network will hear it. This Status message may then be used by the network to select an alternative channel.

Clear channel reporting and assisting orphaned nodes in a wireless network

A method of locating an article or person employs at least one transponding station (TS ) having its own radio identity carded by a person or article in the radio coverage area of a radio system. The system employs a plurality of clusters of spatially separate radio units (M to M ) having transceivers and received signal strength determining modules, each of the radio units having an individual identity. Each cluster is associated with a network interrogating station (NIU( ), NIU( )) employing transceivers for communicating with at least the radio units in its cluster. A central station ( ) has a transceiver for communicating with a plurality of the interrogating stations and storage for storing a database encompassing the locations of the radio units (M to M ).

Growing community of inventors

Woking, United Kingdom

David M Avery