Patent ID: 7042352
Filing Date: 2006-05-09
Classification: G08B

Abstract:
1. A wireless repeater for an ambient sensor system, comprising: a first frequency-hopping transceiver configured to communicate with a plurality of sensor units, each sensor unit having a sensor unit identification code used to identify transmissions from the sensor unit; a second frequency-hopping transceiver configured to communicate with a base unit; and a controller configured to control operation of said first transceiver and said second transceiver, said wireless repeater having a repeater identification, said controller configured to manage a sensor unit identification table that contains a list of sensor unit identification codes, where entries for said sensor unit identification table are received by said second transceiver from said base unit and identified by said repeater identification, said controller configured to control said first transceiver and said second transceiver to forward data from sensor units listed in said sensor unit identification table and to ignore data from sensor units not listed in said sensor unit identification table, said controller configured to control said first transceiver and said second transceiver to forward data from said base unit that is addressed to sensor units listed in said sensor unit identification table and to ignore data from said base unit that is addressed to sensor units not listed in said sensor unit identification table, said controller configured to place said first transceiver and said second transceiver in a low-power mode when no transmissions are expected from said base unit or from sensor units listed in said sensor identification table.