Patent ID: 7231180

Claim:
A wireless sensor communication module for operating in an ad-hoc sensor network having a plurality of nodes, the module comprising: a controller operable to supply identification data that uniquely identifies the module and configured to receive (i) power capability data representative of power capability of other wireless sensor communication modules in the sensor network and (ii) demodulated identification data, the controller operable, in response to these data, to (i) determine a data transmission route through the sensor network based at least in part on the power capability data, (ii) supply transmission route data representative thereof, and (iii) determine if the other communication modules are members of the sensor network; and a transceiver configured to receive sensor data and operable to modulate the sensor data with a radio frequency (RF) signal to thereby generate RF modulated sensor data, the transceiver additionally coupled to receive the transmission route data and operable, in response thereto, to transmit the RF modulated sensor data to a sensor network node in the determined transmission route, the transceiver further configured to receive (i) the identification data from the controller, (ii) RF modulated identification data from one or more of the other communication modules in the sensor network, (iii) RF modulated sensor data from one or more of the other sensor communications modules in the sensor network, and (iv) a retransmission command and further operable to (i) RF modulate the identification data, (ii) transmit the RF modulated identification data, demodulate the identification data therefrom, and retransmit the received RF modulated sensor data, wherein the controller is further operable to issue the retransmission command to the transceiver if it determines that the RF modulated sensor data received by the transceiver was transmitted from a communication module that is a member of the sensor network.